Island of Marajó, Pará, Brazil - 16 November 2017 - Ilha do Marajó is the world's largest fluvial island, yet it has one of the lowest Human Development Index in the country. In 2014, a parliamentary inquiry commission found that the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents on the island of Marajó is the worst in the country, especially the exploitation of indigenous children and children coming from riverside communities. The best-known trafficking routes are those of the river ferries, which 'transport' children from one municipality to another across the islands many waterways and to the state capital Belém, as well as to other states. Many of the victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation but the region also has a
high concentration of children being trafficked for forced labour in the fishing and tourism industry, as well as for domestic servitude.
It is in this context that the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (
GLO.ACT) facilitated capacity building workshops on 8 November in Breves and 10 November in Portel with the participation of 89 stakeholders and 58 stakeholders respectively. The workshops were implemented alongside the Brazilian Association for the Defence of Women, Childhood and Youth, the National Secretariat of Justice and Citizenship, the Nucleus to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the state of Pará and the Peace and Justice Commission of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.
The main objective of the capacity building workshop was to train local professionals belonging to the Child and Adolescent Protection Network on the Island of Marajó on the identification, prevention, assistance and support to child and adolescent victims of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. This is in line with Brazil's current anti-TIP and migration legislation, as well as the national Child and Youth Statute.
Workshop participants mainly work for service and care networks aimed at preventing violence against children and adolescents. This network includes representatives from local reference centers for social assistance, specialized reference centers for social assistance, municipal councils, shelters, civil police officers, federal police department, national force, army, city hall and its municipal secretariats (health, education, tourism and social action), judiciary branch, Public Defender's Office, Public Prosecutor's Office (state and federal), health posts, outposts to combat TIP and civil society members.
The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
Event report:
Global Action Against Child and Adolescent Trafficking (in Portuguese) Brazil (2018)
For more information, please visit:
Ms. Fernanda Patricia Fuentes Munoz
National Project Officer
Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil
fernanda.fuentes@unodc.org
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
