Guatemala - IOM and UNHCR are a conducting a series of seven human rights training workshops in Guatemala aimed at strengthening the capacity of 33 government officials, NGO staff, and academia, working with migrants and refugees.

"We are dedicated to addressing the issue of human trafficking in all its forms.  Our institution has a shelter for adult women victims of human trafficking.  And so this workshop is very important because it will help us learn more about the rights of victims," said Miriam Alay, of the NGO Misión Redentora.

Delbert Field, IOM Chief of Mission in Guatemala, said the workshops will help expand the knowledge of the plight of migrants and refugees of government officials, civil society, and others, not only in Guatemala but in Mesoamerica.

“The migration challenges in Central America and Mexico are very similar.   There is violence, human trafficking, criminal gangs, and other risks faced daily by mobile populations.  These workshops allow IOM to share its expertise and experience with the people directly involved in the solutions.   We hope that by bringing government officials and civil society together it will strengthen coordination amongst all actors in order to support migrants in vulnerable conditions,” added Field.

The workshop titled Human Rights of Migrants and Refugees in the Mesoamerican Region: Identification, Protection and Assistance", will also be held in Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

Aury Sosa, from the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman Office, said that although they have been working for years with migrants and refugees, “this was an opportunity to update our skills and grow.”

The participants received training on national, regional and global migration realities and the main challenges faced to protect migrant populations, through participatory group dynamics and presentations.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rita Claverie, thanked IOM and UNHCR for their support and called on participants to: “Together build a real commitment to these vulnerable migrant populations, taking advantage of the knowledge gained in the workshop to reproduce in each of our institutions the guidelines for ensuring the comprehensive care we can provide for this sector of the population."

The human rights of migrants and refugees in the region are violated on a regular basis.  Migrants traveling through Mexico on their way to the U.S. risk violence and even death.  In August 23, 2010, the mutilated bodies of 72 migrants were found in the municipality of San Fernando, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.  They had been killed by criminal gangs who operate throughout México.

Guatemala´s history of armed conflict (1960-1996) has resulted in the displacement of hundreds of communities who have been force to live in appalling conditions within the country and in neighboring Mexico.

For more information, please contact

IOM Guatemala Communications Office
Tel: +502.231.40.000
Email: iomguatemalapress@iom.int