IOM and the Ministry of Civil Affairs will today co-host a
three-day workshop in Changsha City, Hunan Province, for 60
officials to identify victims of human trafficking, provide better
direct assistance and improve the management of shelters.

The workshop, which will be attended by representatives from the
Ministries of Civil Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Public Security,
is part of a counter-trafficking project jointly implemented by IOM
and the Chinese government.

The training, which is designed to support the implementation of
the Chinese National Plan of Action on Combating Trafficking of
Women and Children (2008-2012), will be facilitated by experts from
IOM, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security Office for Combating
Human Trafficking, the Legislative Affairs Office of the National
People's Congress, and trafficking shelter experts from Europe.

"As China continues to combat cross-border and internal human
trafficking, there is a need to strengthen inter-agency cooperation
to provide the level of support that the victims of these terrible
crimes need," said Thomas Sinkovits, head of IOM's China Liaison
Office.

In recent years, China has made significant strides in its
progress towards fighting human trafficking – not least by
signing the UN's "Palermo Protocols" on combating human trafficking
in 2009.

"This workshop is an opportunity for enhanced international
cooperation, practical knowledge exchange, and the promotion of
mutual understanding. It will help us to improve the quality of
shelter management and enhance the capacity of staff providing
direct assistance to victims of trafficking," said Madam Gao
Yueling, Director of the Social Welfare Administration Division at
the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

For more information please contact:

Kieran Best

IOM Beijing

Tel: 86 10 8532 5303, Ext. 203

E-mail: "mailto:kgormanbest@iom.int">kgormanbest@iom.int