IOM trained municipal staff in Talamanca, Costa Rica, about trafficking in persons
On March 19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Costa Rica trained the staff of the Municipality of Talamanca on the crime of trafficking in persons. The training was conducted in coordination with the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens (DGME), through the Municipal Center for Migrants in Talamanca.
During the event, titled “Trafficking in persons: mechanisms for detection and reporting”, the staff at this municipality bordering Panama got tools to better understand the crime, its modalities and dynamics. They also learned what the reporting process entails.
“At the DGME, we have been conducting trafficking awareness initiatives for several years now in the area of Talamanca. In this occasion and with support from IOM we are taking a very important step. We consider it a priority to keep training staff, especially to sensitize the population and promote reporting of trafficking in persons in this community”, said Sandra Chaves, Manager Against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling at the DGME.
The training was conducted in the Municipality of Talamanca, following distancing guidelines devised by the Ministry of Health, and was attended by 15 key municipal staff. The session was jointly facilitated by staff of DGME’s Management against Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling and IOM Costa Rica.
“For the municipality, it is chiefly important to receive this training, because we learn to be more humane and identify the needs of vulnerable people. We learn how to listen to the silent cry to people who cannot speak for themselves. This is very important for our municipality, because now staff from different departments improve their knowledge and are ready to respond to needs when they must”, said Lorena Rojas, first vice-mayor of Talamanca.
The training was conducted within the framework of the Western Hemisphere Program financed by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.