Beijing – As migration flows from China to Europe grow, the challenge of identifying potential victims of human trafficking among diverse visa applicants is also increasing.

This is putting growing pressure on frontline visa officers at European Embassies and Consulates General in China, who review supporting documents and conduct interviews with visa applicants.

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, will address the issue when it hosts three training courses this week in Beijing (02/07), Shanghai (04/07) and Guangzhou (06/07) for European visa officers to raise their awareness of human trafficking. The training will also provide basic guidelines and techniques for identifying potential trafficking victims.  

The programme, which is part of the European Union-funded EU-China Dialogue on Migration and Mobility Support project, will be delivered by an IOM counter trafficking expert and will target around 50 visa officers from the consular and visa sections of European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss Embassies and Consulates General in China.

Participants will learn about practical victim-screening techniques and will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with real case scenarios and the challenges related to victim identification in a consular setting.

The training, which highlights the importance of a victim-centred approach, will also offer an opportunity to reflect on the kind of situations victims may experience, and how to provide them with appropriate first line support.

For further information please contact Etienne Micallef at IOM China, Tel: +861059799695, Email: emicallef@iom.int