Sixteen Ecuadorian consuls from cities with large numbers of
Ecuadorian migrants in Europe, the United States and Latin America
this week concluded a two-month course on Consular Protocol for
Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking.

Working with the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, and
Justice and Human Rights, IOM designed the two-month classroom and
online course to build the capacity and understanding of consular
staff on the modalities of human trafficking, and providing
protection and assistance to the victims.

IOM trained staff of the Diplomatic Academy of Ecuador who are
now teaching the on-line course and provide advice and support
Ecuadorian consuls all over the world.

The Central Bank of Ecuador estimates that more than 1.5 million
Ecuadorians are living outside the country, mainly in the United
States, Spain and Italy.

Ecuador is a country of origin, transit, and destination for
men, women, and children trafficked for sexual exploitation and
forced labour.  The majority of the victims are believed to be
children trafficked within the country from border and central
highland areas to urban centres for commercial sexual exploitation,
domestic servitude, forced begging, and forced labour in mines and
other hazardous work.

Ecuadorian children are also trafficked to Colombia, Venezuela,
Chile, and the Dominican Republic for forced labour, particularly
street begging, and domestic servitude.   Ecuadorian
women are trafficked to Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Europe for
commercial sexual exploitation.  Women and girls from Colombia
and Peru are trafficked to Ecuador for commercial sexual
exploitation in border areas, the Amazon region, and urban
areas.  Ecuador is also a transit country for Asian nationals
being smuggled to North America, but some may fall victim to human
traffickers along the way.

In 2005, IOM began providing support to the Government of
Ecuador to combat human trafficking.  The IOM
counter-trafficking programme focuses on providing support for the
implementation of the National Plan of Action, and to identify and
support prevention, protection and prosecution activities.

The Diplomatic Academy plans to train all 200 Ecuadorian consuls
around the world and expand the course to include other officials
including prosecutors and police.

"Other countries have expressed an interest in this training and
have asked if it can be used by their consular officials.  We
hope to multiply this knowledge and be an example for other
countries that are also eager to fight human trafficking.  The
support of IOM and USAID has been essential to meeting this goal,"
says Fernando Bucheli, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of
Ecuador. The next two-month online course will be held on 1 July
for 16 new consuls. 

For more information, please contact:

Ana Maria Guzman

IOM Ecuador

Tel: + 593.2.244.4929

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