IOM and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Department of Justice &
Attorney General (DJAG) have completed a counter-trafficking
training programme for some 200 law enforcement officers, civil
servants and NGO workers.

The two-week training was conducted in the four border regions
of West Sepik Province, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, the
National Capital District and the Western Province, through
February and March.

"The training, which is part of a broader two-year
counter-trafficking project funded by the US State Department, was
designed to help participants to better understand, detect and act
upon cases of human trafficking in PNG," says IOM Papua New Guinea
Chief of Mission Giuseppe Crocetti.

"It included theory and best practices and addressed the
relevant legislative frameworks, including the implications of the
newly drafted People Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons Bill,"
added DJAG Senior Legal Officer Josephine Advent.

The Bill, which was endorsed by the National Executive Counsel
(NEC) on 5th October 2011, is expected to be presented to
Parliament soon.

IOM also launched a mass information campaign this week to raise
awareness of human trafficking in all the targeted provinces. It
will run over the next six months and will include a toll-free
counter-trafficking hotline.

The training and mass information campaign followed an
assessment carried out by IOM and DJAG which found a need for
greater public awareness of human trafficking in PNG, as well as a
need for capacity building in agencies responsible for combating
the problem and providing victim support.

For more information, please contact:

Giuseppe Crocetti

IOM Port Moresby

Tel: +675.321.3655

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