Somalia - IOM, with support from the European Commission, this month trained 30 police and immigration officers from various ports of entry in Puntland, Somalia, on basic concepts of human trafficking and gender-based violence (GBV).

As Puntland is a major transit point for vulnerable migrants in Somalia, the aim of the training was to sensitize the officers on human trafficking and GBV, and laws in place to tackle and address the two challenges.

The officers were also trained on how to detect and respond to cases of human trafficking and GBV they come across in their daily duties, with special consideration for the protection needs of victims.

Two experts seconded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Office of the Attorney General through IOM’s Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) programme, and IOM staff, facilitated the training.

“The knowledge gained by the police and immigration officers in human trafficking and GBV will enable them to identify and provide support to victims that they identify at Puntland entry and exit border check-points,” said Puntland CID Commander Ibrahim Ali.

For further information, please contact Tagel Solomon at IOM Somalia, Tel: +254 0712 835 079, Email: tsolomon@iom.int