Bamako - Environnement et Développement du Tiers Monde (ENDA) opened an outreach and accommodation center in Bamako on 1 December 2017 within the framework of a grant agreement signed with IOM under the EU-funded Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT).

This center is a vital resource as it provides key services to migrants in vulnerable situations in Mali. Mali is a source, transit and to some extent destination country for trafficked persons, smuggled migrants and migrants in vulnerable situations. So far, 34 migrants from seven West African countries have been assisted at the center. All of these migrants had experienced forced labour and some were also smuggled.

Thanks to the grant, migrants were able to go through in-depth individual counseling sessions to identify their immediate and longer terms needs. Services provided include: shelter, food and clothing; psychosocial, medical, and legal assistance; voluntary return and reintegration services; and family reunification.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to assist to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including assisting victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Balkissa Ouologuem, Email: BKOUOLOGUEM@iom.int
https://www.iom.int/gloact
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/index.html
Twitter: @glo_act