IOM Trains Puntland Police in Human Trafficking Investigation Skills

GENEVA, Switzerland, December 12, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM this week conducted a training course, funded by the European Union (EU), for ten police officers from Puntland State in Somalia at the Africa Capacity Building Centre (ACBC) in Moshi in Tanzania.

IOM is supporting the capacity building of the Puntland State and its civil society to address human trafficking. The training at the ACBC aims to increase the understanding of law enforcement personnel in human trafficking, often confused with smuggling, and improve their skills in case management, with a particular focus on child trafficking.

Since 2013 when IOM started focusing on Counter-Trafficking (CT) in Puntland, 21 children trafficked from the south central regions of Somalia, were assisted by the Puntland State and NGOs, with financial and technical support from IOM.

This training on human trafficking investigation skills will be followed up by secondment of an investigation expert who will provide local training to the police in order to support the process of establishing counter trafficking units.

In addition to the capacity building of its law enforcement personnel, IOM is helping Puntland State and the NGOs to conduct information campaigns to raise awareness of the general public in human trafficking and strengthen the referral process of victims to better access assistance, based on their gender, age and specific protection concerns, including gender-based violence.

Speaking during the training, the Head of Police Counter-Trafficking Unit in Puntland, Abdirahman Muse Ali said: “This training will enhance investigative and case management skills to better provide assistance to victims, but most importantly to effectively prosecute the perpetrators of human trafficking network cartels and other related transnational organized crimes in the region.”

ACBC is a training centre, which provides residential training on immigration and border management to African member states of IOM and is co-managed by both the Government of Tanzania and IOM. IOM’s Somalia counter trafficking and gender-based violence project is funded by the EU.