How to Address a Problem like Human Trafficking? IOM Workshop with Sudanese Government

On 31st January 2018, Gedarif Exploring international and local responses to the crime of human trafficking has been the focus of work for Gedarif’s Ministry of Social Welfare, the judiciary, prosecution services, police force, journalists, social workers and NGOs this week during a two day workshop on 29-30 January 2018.

Provided by the EU and German funded Better Migration Management Programme (BMM), the workshop was led by senior members of the Gedarif Judiciary and Police Force and attended by 41 participants focusing on the legality and responses to human trafficking and smuggling. The lively two day discussions by these key stakeholders shed light on the challenges and opportunities to collectively address and respond to human trafficking, sharing professional experiences on how their sectors can respond and work together to the migration, trafficking and smuggling challenges facing their State. Gedarif State’s proximity to Ethiopia and its large agricultural sector means it historically attracts a large number of migrants looking for work or to transit through the State onwards to other regions within Sudan and to other countries.

This workshop on the legality and responses comes at a key time as Gedarif State approaches the rainy season in June and large numbers of migrants are expected to enter. Her Excellency, the Minister of Social Welfare, Awatif Mohammed El Gali, opened the workshop. The lawyers and NGOs discussed the difficulties in distinguishing between victims of trafficking and perpetrators and how to determine legally whether an incident is smuggling or trafficking. The journalists and police force discussed challenges and opportunities in reporting.

Mona Abdalla Arabi from Gedarif Television and Radio Network commented that “the workshop was of great benefit and has enhanced my legal understanding [and].the variety in participants was particularly beneficial and allowed for lots of useful information to be shared between groups.” Hanin Abdalla, a lawyer from the Criminal Prosecution Services said “this is a very important topic at the moment, since I have a role as a lawyer I will now begin to provide legal aid to vulnerable migrants.”

The workshop was designed and facilitated by IOM as part of the BMM programme, a regional programme aiming to improve migration management in the Horn of Africa, and in particular to curb the trafficking of human beings and the smuggling of migrants within and from the Horn.

Details

Publication date: 2 February 2018

Region and Country

Regional Horn of Africa
Sudan

Thematic

Improved migration management

Partner

Programmes in the region

Monitoring and Learning System for the EUTF Horn of Africa

Specific Objective 1: to establish and implement a Monitoring and Learning System which monitors and reports on the overall progress of the EUTF Horn of Africa window against EUTF strategic objectives, Horn of Africa policy priorities and EUTF principles of interventions.

Regional Operational Centre in support of the Khartoum Process and AU-Horn of Africa Initiative (ROCK)

The intervention logic of the project is that in the context of the Horn of Africa, the sharing of information on irregular migration and associated criminal networks amongst the countries of the Khartoum Process is a conditional requirement to address transnational crime.

Strengthening the Livelihoods Resilience of Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Communities in South Sudan’s cross-border areas with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda

The specific objective is to enhance the food security, income and resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, and particularly in selected cross-border areas of South Sudan.

IGAD Promoting Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa Region (IPPSHAR)

The following three thematic objectives and one implementation effectiveness objective are identified to achieve the broader goal of peace and stability in the region:I.

Disrupting criminal trafficking and smuggling networks through increased anti-money laundering and financial investigation capacity in the Greater Horn of Africa

The specific objective is to better equip relevant country agencies to disrupt the traffickers and smugglers of human beings operating in the Greater Horn of Africa through efficient use of financial investigations and anti-money laundering approaches, including on tracing and seizing assets and...

Better Migration Management Programme Phase II

The second phase of the Better Migration Management programme aims to improve the management of safe, orderly and regular migration in the region and support national authorities in addressing the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking in human beings within and from the Horn of Africa.

See all