IOM´s E-Campus offers free course about trafficking in persons

IOM’s migration learning platform, E-Campus, has released a new English-language course addressing the fundamentals of trafficking in persons. The 3-hour course, “Trafficking in Persons: protection and assistance to victims”, provides a certification for English-speaking users.  

“This is an opportunity to learn, about the issue of trafficking in persons in an accessible manner and over a short period of time. We aim to describe a victim’s profile for authorities to identify them in the context of growing and changing migration flows, and provide victims with the assistance they need”, explained Graciela Incer, Technical Specialist of the Regional Migration Program-Mesoamerica –  The Caribbean. 

The self-paced virtual course allows students to learn at their own rate and provides learners with general knowledge about trafficking in persons and tips to identify and protect victims of this crime. It is open to the general public, but is strongly recommended for people working with migrant populations or civil servants. 

Trafficking in persons is one of the largest and most profitable illegal businesses in the world, even more than drug trafficking. UNODC reports approximately 25,000 victims detected in 2016 alone, spread across 97 countries. In Central America and the Caribbean, an overwhelming 87% of detected victims have been trafficked in the sex industry.  

The course is structured in six units, addressing world statistics about trafficking in persons and related international law, the defining aspects of this crime, the experience and impact on victims and how to respond to their protection needs. Anyone with an E-Campus account can enroll for free, through the site: www.ecampus.iom.int 

E-Campus is part of the Western Hemisphere Program, funded by the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration. For further questions, contact Graciela Incer, at gincer@iom.int