Honiara — In the lead up to World Trafficking Day, the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration of the Solomon Islands hosted a high-level roundtable discussion on trafficking in persons in Solomon Islands on Friday (27/07).

The goal of the roundtable was to discuss key issues and priorities for responding to trafficking in persons (TiP) in Solomon Islands, and to gather inputs from a wide range of government stakeholders on the remaining priorities for the National Action Plan against Human Trafficking and People Smuggling 2015 – 2020. The roundtable was organized in partnership with IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and Save the Children, with support from the European Union.

The Solomon Islands Director of Immigration Mason Fugui opened the roundtable and highlighted that “trafficking in persons is a global issue affecting vulnerable people around the world, including people in Solomon Islands.” At the roundtable, participants agreed that different types of trafficking are present in the Solomon Islands and increased coordination is needed to respond to the challenges raised by trafficking in persons.

The roundtable was preceded by a three-day workshop for service providers and law enforcement, also organized by IOM, Save the Children and the Immigration Division, with support from the European Union. At the opening of the workshop, Chief Immigration Officer Enforcement and Human Trafficking Christopher Akosawa said “trends of child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Solomon Islands are at an alarming rate. This workshop is an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to combat trafficking.”

IOM Senior Migrant Protection Specialist Jonathan Martens from the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific delivered sessions on identifying victims of trafficking; interviewing survivors of trafficking; protecting victims of trafficking; and workshop facilitation. Representatives of Save the Children took the lead on sessions related to child trafficking with focus on understanding how children can become victims, understanding the indicators of exploitation and the skills and qualities required for working with children.

For more information, please contact Angelica Neville at IOM Solomon Islands, Tel: +677 22536, Email: aneville@iom.int