Panama fights trafficking in persons through 17 awareness-raising and training activities

 
Panama
11 November, 2019

Panama.  IOM Panama and the National Commission against Trafficking in Persons developed during September several activities to bolster awareness, prevention and capacity building to create strategies directed towards the elimination of trafficking in persons.

Efforts included many symbolic actions, such as the illumination of renowned buildings, widespread information in media, walks and human chains. Furthermore, various capacity-building workshops were conducted with strategic audiences, such as communicators, public servants, diplomatic corps and more than 16 public institutions. All of this happened in September, created by executive decree as the National Month against Trafficking in Persons.

During the lighting of the presidential Palacio de las Garzas, First Lady Yazmín Colón de Cortizo officially launched the campaign #PanamaWithoutTrafficking. "Trafficking in persons is a scourge that mainly affects women and girls. The global figures are dramatic. Panama is not indifferent to this global reality," she said.

Through the implementation of a teaching and learning strategy, IOM, together with the National Commission against Trafficking in Persons, organized a mixed training plan, combining the tools of IOM’s E-Campus with live events. Over 200 people were trained, including representatives from 31 institutions and civil society organizations in 11 learning spaces. They received comprehensive training on topics such as the prevention of trafficking in persons, protection and assistance to victims, combating the smuggling of migrants and detecting fraudulent documentation, among others.

These activities are carried out as part of the Regional Migration Program Mesoamerica- The Caribbean, and the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), both funded by the US Department of State.