A two-day counter-trafficking training for government officials and
civil society in Dominica has been organized by IOM in response to
a request from the government concerned about the negative
consequences of the crime.

During the training which starts Wednesday 25 March, 30
participants will follow the IOM Counter-Trafficking Module on
Capacity Building to acquire a basic understanding of human
trafficking and to explore ways to identify national strengths and
weaknesses using international standards and best practices, and to
develop counter-trafficking task forces and national action
plans.

Through its counter-trafficking work in the Caribbean, IOM has
identified the region as also being affected by forced labour,
sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The victims (adults and
children, from within and outside the region) are trafficked
through legal migration methods, i.e., work permits and visas, and
irregular methods, such as smuggling.

A small island nation with a population of 70,000, Dominican
officials are faced with the challenge of managing its
shores.  Like other Caribbean islands, Dominica can serve as a
transit point for migrants moving within and out of the
region.  Dominica is sandwiched between the French territories
of Martinique and Guadeloupe, gateways to France and thus
Europe. 

The training is organized in partnership with Dominica's Office
of the Prime Minister and offered through IOM's Caribbean
Counter-Trafficking Initiative (CCTI) which has been funded by the
US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
(PRM) since 2004.

For more information, please contact:

Chissey Mueller

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

or

Niurka Piñeiro

IOM Washington

Tel: +1-202-862-1826

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