UNODC held a Regional Workshop on the identification, protection and assistance of victims of trafficking in persons among refugees and displaced persons. This pilot activity was held in Jordan and reached out to five countries that are hosting large numbers of refugees and displaced persons from Syria and Iraq, namely Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. This pilot activity aimed at enhancing the understanding and knowledge of law enforcement officials, and health and/or social work professionals working with Government agencies or with civil society organizations and that interact with refugees and displaced persons, in developing a proactive and systematic approach to detecting, identifying and assisting victims or potential victims of trafficking in persons among those vulnerable populations.
The discussions and exchanges during the workshop demonstrated the need to ensure that the law enforcement agencies and humanitarian actors involved in the responses to refugee and migration crises have the skills and capacity to detect and address not only situations of TIP among vulnerable populations such as refugees and displaced persons, but also potential victims of trafficking among refugees and migrants who are exposed to a high risk of being trafficked as a result of their vulnerable situation. The good practice identified is to offer such training /capacity building to front-line actors and those interacting with refugees and migrants, and include them in any response/referral mechanisms that may already exist to protect and assist victims of trafficking
Limited resources, funding, and technical skills can all affect the robustness of emergency and post-crisis responses. Understanding and assessing these limitations is a critical first step towards overcoming them. Stakeholders’ investment in their own capacity to improve emergency response and post-crisis recovery for migrants is critical.
Capacity building may relate to such varied areas as consular services, training for responders, resource allocation, funding mechanisms, insurance schemes, relief goods and services, border and migration management, and relocation and evacuation. Many of these areas are relevant for both the emergency and post-crisis phases. Stakeholders should also consider addressing potential reintegration challenges for migrants, their families, and communities, facilitating re-employment, income generation, and safe remigration, and supporting migrants to access outstanding wages, assets, and property left in host States.
States, private sector actors, international organizations, and civil society should assist one another to build and improve their capacity to respond. Undertaking advocacy, monitoring and evaluations, raising awareness, conducting training, sharing information, building research and knowledge, and supporting and learning from each other all help to improve collective efforts to protect migrants.
Sample Practices
Training and capacity building of stakeholders, such as on effective ways to access migrants and identify vulnerability and needs.
Dedicated funding to protect migrants, including budget lines, loans, and funding platforms.
Referral mechanisms that map rosters of experts who can address diverse needs of different migrants.
Peer-to-peer exchanges for capacity building and learning on tackling challenges associated with protecting migrants.
Training for consular officials, such as on collecting information on citizens and crisis management, including evacuation.
Monitoring and evaluation of crisis responses that includes analysis of responses towards migrants.