Port of Spain - On February 9th, 2023, 28 Trinidad and Tobago government officials participated in a one-day Trafficking in Persons training conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and coordinated under the Heal Empower Rise-Counter Trafficking in Persons (HER CTIP) Project and the Access, Support and Coordination (ASC) Programme, which are currently being implemented by IOM Port of Spain.

This critical training focused on victim identification and response planning but also covered legal concepts, trauma-informed care, national referral mechanisms, developing relevant plans of action, and a simulated Case Study on identifying and working with victims of trafficking.

The training which was organized by the Ministry of Labour and held at the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs in Port of Spain, was facilitated by IOM's Team comprising its Senior Regional Protection Specialist Tim Howe, Case Coordinator Tinestia Haynes and Project Officer Zeke Beharry.

This in-person session will now be followed by a self-paced, certifiable e-learning component on IOM's e-campus.

During the Opening Session, Head of Office for IOM Port of Spain, Ms. Jewel Ali stressed that "combatting trafficking in persons requires comprehensive approaches and strong partnerships".

Mr Farouk Mohammed, Chief Labour Inspector Specialist on delivering remarks on behalf of the Permanent Secretary (Ag.) stated that "the training will improve the capacity of front-line officials, such as Labour Inspectors to screen, identify and refer potential trafficking victims for care and support."

US Embassy Political Officer John Miller emphasized, “we need to be more vigilant and not succumb to cynicism or indifference to the plight of those being exploited and trafficked around us. He also stated that “trafficking can be seen in many forms and it touches many industries around the world.”

USAID’s Governance and Rule of Law Specialist Sharon Ramsaran commented on the training saying, “The HER CTIP Project aims to strengthen the care, support and social services for Survivors of Trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago”. She added, “USAID’s aim is to promote trauma-informed and survivor-centered approaches in countering -Trafficking in Persons programming to increase survivor empowerment.”

The training is funded by both the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and IOM's Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration. The in-person training and the following e-learning component are part of a joint effort to support the adoption of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and encourage the implementation of migration approaches that benefit communities of origin, transit, and destination.