IOM has organized a two-day residential workshop on combating human
trafficking for a group of 35 state prosecutors from across Sri
Lanka.

The US-funded workshop was designed to enhance the prosecutor's
knowledge of counter-trafficking legislation and prosecution, and
to support national efforts in prosecuting traffickers and
protecting victims of trafficking.

"Training (prosecutors) to deal with (human) trafficking is of
the utmost importance, as we consider it an offence as serious as
money laundering or drug trafficking," said Acting Attorney General
Priyashath Dep, who addressed the workshop.  

The workshop included modules on local and international law,
criminal investigation and proceedings, international cooperation
and the treatment of victims throughout the judicial process.

IOM has now trained over 500 Sri Lankan law enforcement
officials and NGO workers in the areas of victim identification,
protection and prosecution of traffickers through a series of
nationwide workshops developed in close cooperation with the Sri
Lanka Police Department, the Attorney General's Department and the
Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.

Sri Lanka is a source and destination country for men and women
trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial
sexual exploitation, according to the US State Department's 2008
Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Report.

For further information please contact:

Anuradhi Navaratnam

IOM Colombo

Tel: +94.11.53325 300

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

or

Passanna Gunasekera

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