China - China is increasingly becoming both a source and destination country for human trafficking, mainly from the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Moreover, it is one of the top three non-European Union (EU) source countries for trafficking victims in the EU.

Part of IOM’s response is a two-day training workshop: “International Standards for Identifying and Assisting Victims of Trafficking”, which opened today (15/11) in Nanjing, China. The main objective of the workshop is to strengthen working-level cooperation between EU and Chinese counter-trafficking partners by focusing on victim identification, protection and assistance.

“The identification of a trafficked person is a crucial step for their rescue, access to assistance and protection,” noted Pär Liljert, IOM’s Head of Office in Beijing. “If victims are not properly identified, they are likely to be treated as criminals and are often pushed into illegality, falling prey to sexual exploitation and forced labour.”

The workshop is meant to discuss outcomes achieved through counter-trafficking efforts by IOM China and European police forces, in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, as well as good practice guidelines for victim identification, assistance and screening. Case studies from China, Cyprus, Spain and the Netherlands will be presented.

This is the first of two events on human trafficking. Another workshop: “Facilitation of exchanges and establishment of networks between Chinese and European anti-trafficking Criminal Investigation Experts”, follows in Beijing on 18 November 2016.

The event, organized by IOM as part of its EU-China Dialogue on Migration and Mobility Support project, includes experts from the Ministry of Public Security, IOM Liaison Office in China and EU Member States, including the Central Department against Human Trafficking of the Spanish National Police, Office of Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the Cyprus Police, the Dutch Inspectorate SZW of Criminal Investigation Division, and the Dutch association “SHOP Den Haag”.

For further information please contact Etienne Micallef at the IOM Liaison Office in China, Tel: + 86 13811209875, Email: emicallef@iom.int