San José, Costa Rica, May 21, 2024 — UNODC, UN Women, and IOM, in collaboration with the National Coalition Against Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking (CONATT), held a workshop aimed at strengthening capacities to incorporate a gender and human rights perspective into data and statistics on human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
This workshop was part of the joint program “Strengthening the Capacities of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Agencies to Coordinate and Exchange Information for Investigating and Prosecuting Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling,” led by UNODC, IOM, UN Women, and funded by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Migration (MMPTF).
The objective of this activity was to enhance skills and knowledge for the proper application of a gender and human rights perspective in the analysis of records held by CONATT, thereby improving the quality of information for strategic decision-making and the development of evidence-based public policies.
The event was attended by more than 25 representatives from government institutions such as the Professional Migration Police (PPM), the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), the Public Force, the Intelligence Directorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from the Public Ministry and Judicial Branch, as well as the Trafficking and Smuggling Management Department of the Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs, specialized data personnel from CONATT, and the International Office for Children's Rights.
Participants engaged in practical exercises related to data cleaning and analysis and the application of a gender and intersectional perspective. "This workshop allowed us to understand the importance of the gender perspective in data analysis, which can lead to substantial changes in the causes or interventions to be carried out; the importance of data standardization and cleaning; and to improve skills and capacities in gender-focused data management and processing," they stated.
In line with this, Noemy Serrano Corrales, the program coordinator from UN Women, emphasized the importance of strengthening staff capacities in the proper handling and analysis of information throughout its cycle to improve data management on trafficking and smuggling. She also highlighted the importance of training in the correct application of gender, intersectional, and human rights approaches to more accurately analyze information and address the differentiated needs of the population.
The outcomes of this workshop contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 8, 10, 16, and 17, and to the objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), specifically goals 1, 7, and 17.