Libya / Training Judges and Prosecutors in Countering Human Trafficking

 

 

 

 

Libya / Training Judges and Prosecutors in Countering Human Trafficking

 

 

TRIPOLI, Libya, May 1, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM Press Briefing Notes

A group of 60 Libyan judges and prosecutors are being provided training by IOM on various aspects of irregular migration, including human trafficking, in a bid to enhance their understanding of the phenomenon that also affects their country.

Libya, a migrant transit and destination country, has an estimated 1 – 1.5 million irregular migrants, many of whom are en route to Europe. Although the scale of human trafficking in Libya is unknown, the majority of known cases have involved labour or sexual exploitation of migrants from Sub-Saharan countries. However, recent trends reveal that victims are now also coming from Asia, namely Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The government, in a bid to fight the phenomenon, is working on legal provisions that would punish traffickers and assist their victims. The IOM training of the judges and prosecutors provides initial sensitization to international conventions, including the UN Palermo Protocol on human trafficking until the laws come into force.

The training, part of a broader IOM counter-trafficking programme in Libya funded by the US State Department (GTiP), also includes a study visit to Italy to allow participants to witness some best practices in countering human trafficking.

IOM is also working to strengthen the civil society response in tackling human trafficking by building their capacity, enhancing cooperation and communication between all those involved in addressing the issue and on raising awareness of the crime.

For further information, please contact Michele Bombassei, IOM Libya, at mbombassei@iom.int Tel: +218-927405371

SOURCE 

International Office of Migration (IOM)