IOM has just concluded a project aimed at empowering civil society
and government in Yemen to address mixed migration and protect
victims of trafficking in the Gulf of Aden Region.

As part of the project, IOM organized in the capital Sana'a a
workshop that brought together 60 participants representing various
diplomatic missions, government ministries, UN agencies, and civil
society organizations to discuss current trends in smuggling and
trafficking in persons.

The event provided a unique platform to share and discuss
preliminary findings of the Rapid Assessment of
Smuggling/Trafficking in Persons, which was conducted by IOM in
Yemen earlier this year.

Preliminary findings of the assessment pointed to the lack of an
identification and referral system for victims of trafficking, and
the need to enhance access to direct assistance for this vulnerable
group. The report further highlighted the collective efforts needed
to prevent human trafficking, along with measures to protect
victim's rights. Following the presentation of the findings,
workshop participants identified next steps to help strengthen the
country's overall counter-trafficking efforts.

"There is a continuous large-scale influx of mixed migration
flows from the Horn of Africa to Yemen," says IOM Counter
Trafficking Program Manager, Emmerentia Erasmus. "Some of these are
at risk of being trafficked on their way to Yemen, or once they
reach Yemen. The assessment and related workshop also addressed the
issue of Yemeni victims of trafficking," she added.

Both the workshop and rapid assessment were conducted within the
framework of the comprehensive regional project, "Improving
Protection of Migrants and Other Vulnerable Groups Travelling
through Somaliland and Puntland to Yemen," funded by the Government
of Japan.

For more information on IOM's counter-trafficking activities in
Yemen, please contact:

Emmerentia Erasmus

Tel.: +967 1 440840/41

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