Lebanon - The Government of Iraq, in collaboration with the IOM missions in Iraq and Lebanon, has organized a workshop on “Creating a National Protection Framework and Strong Referral Mechanism in Iraq for Trafficked Victims and Exploited Migrants.”

The event, which took place from 22-23 December 2014 in Beirut, Lebanon, included participants from the Iraqi Ministries of Justice, Interior, Labor and Social Affairs, the High Commission for Human Rights and the Supreme Judge Council (a prosecutor and a judge.) It included two members of  Iraq’s Central Committee to Counter Trafficking.

The focus of the workshop was to discuss current practices of identifying and assisting victims of trafficking in Iraq, and identifying areas for improvement.

The workshop followed a study visit by officials from the region to Belgium to compare experiences and observe the country’s advanced victim protection framework. Two Iraqi government officials participated in the visit and Iraq subsequently expressed an interest in creating a better victim protection framework.

The workshop was facilitated by IOM counter trafficking specialists and two experts from the region - Dr. Mohanad Dweikat and Attorney Fadi Moussa from Caritas Lebanon. 

This workshop was organized as part of the Regional Project to “Protect and Assist the Vulnerable andExploited migrant workers in the Middle East and North Africa” (PAVE), funded by the European Union.

It aims to contribute to the protection of migrant workers against exploitation and trafficking in five different countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

The project includes six main activities: training, regional dialogue, study visits, victim assistance, awareness raising, and research and analysis, implemented through engaging civil society actors, government officials, migrants and the general public. The European Union contributes 80 percent of the total EUR1.7 million project budget.

For more information, please contact

Fitriana Nur

IOM Lebanon

Tel: +961 (7) 662 06 48

Email: fnur@iom.int