Colombia - IOM and UNODC have signed an agreement with the Colombian Government to provide technical support to the judicial police, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Health, and other state institutions, in its fight against human trafficking, which last year enslaved at least 62 Colombians abroad and inside the country.

The technical support provided by IOM and UNODC and funded by the European Union, includes development of protocols and informational tools to facilitate the identification, investigation, and judicial processing of human trafficking cases, and assistance for its victims.

The agreement also includes training for central government representatives and 16 of the 32 departmental committees on human trafficking that currently exist in Colombia.  The initiative, which will continue through December 2016, also includes a research study that will improve our understanding of human trafficking in Central America and the Caribbean.

According to information compiled by IOM, in 2014 Colombian victims of human trafficking were exploited for sexual exploitation (48 per cent), forced labor (43 per cent), and forced marriage (8 per cent).  The main countries where victims were sent and exploited were Mexico (21 per cent), Argentina (14 per cent) and Ecuador (11 per cent).

Of the 62 Colombians trafficked in 2014, 8 per cent were exploited inside the country.  It is estimated that for every reported case of human trafficking, there are at least 20 that are not reported, either because of fear or because of a lack of understanding that trafficking is a crime.

Colombian Minister of Interior Juan Fernando Cristo, who leads the Inter-Institutional Committee on the Fight against Human Trafficking said:  “This government is committed to the fight against this crime and that is why we consider direct participation by victims and civil society organizations to be fundamental… Without detracting from the international situation, we want to focus on what is happening in our country.  With the help of the Ombudsman and the National Police, we want to see what is happening here in order to dismantle the criminal groups that traffic people.”

“IOM has been helping the Colombian Government to prevent this crime since 2000. For IOM it is very important to work with UNODC in coordinating initiatives that contribute to the fight against human trafficking, providing best practices, lessons learned, and tools developed by IOM in other countries,” said Alejandro Guidi, IOM Chief of Mission in Colombia.

According to Bo Mathiasen, UNODC representative in Colombia, “The central objective of this initiative is to strengthen activities that address human trafficking in 16 departments.  Our experience in the fight against this crime in the last 12 years will be crucial, as will the partnership with IOM, which is recognized at the national and local level for their expertise in this area.”

For more information, please contact

Jorge Gallo

IOM Colombia

Tel: +571 639 7777 ext. 1222

Email: jgallo@iom.int