The East New Britain judiciary recently received training on Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
This was delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the Papua New Guinea Centre for Judicial Excellence (PNGCJE).
The two-day training held in Kokopo was part of a three-year IOM project to address human trafficking, funded by the US government. Sixteen members of the judiciary participated in the training, which aimed to strengthen capacity of participants to identify cases of human trafficking, refer victims to specialised support services and prosecute human trafficking offenders.
The training was welcomed by Acting Resident Judge Justice Elizabeth Suelip who, in her opening speech, thanked IOM and the PNGCJE for their collaboration on this valuable training opportunity stating: “The world experiences a large number of human trafficking worldwide. The trafficking of people is real and it’s happening right here in Papua New Guinea. At this training we hope we are better prepared to deal with these issues”.
The IOM training curriculum on the Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons for the judges and prosecutors in Papua New Guinea was developed in coordination with PNGCJE with the objective of raising awareness of trafficking in persons (TIP) in PNG and of enhancing the capacity of the PNG Judiciary to successfully recognise and prosecute TIP cases in line with PNG anti-trafficking legislation.
Trafficking in persons, often referred to as “modern day slavery”, is a serious crime affecting millions of men, women and child victims globally each year.
Trafficking in persons involves the recruitment and harbouring of men, women and/or children for purposes of exploitation including, sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced begging, illegal adoption, domestic servitude and forced marriage.
Human trafficking is perpetrated by those who prey on those most vulnerable and is a direct violation of their fundamental human rights.
IOM is a founding member of the PNG National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee (NAHTC) and works closely with various government agencies, international and non-governmental organisations to support direct assistance and protection to victims of trafficking in all provinces of PNG.
If you need further information or support on Trafficking in Persons, call the National Stop Human Trafficking Hotline on 7100 7777.
UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is 30 July.