An IOM-organized workshop held this week in Lima brought together
more than 100 law enforcement officials to discuss Peru’s new
counter-trafficking law.



The workshop, led by legal experts and organized in cooperation
with the Center for Constitutional Studies, provided a thorough
review of the new law, promoting its implementation and procedural
loopholes.



The IOM Regional Representative, Pilar Norza, told the group:
“It’s necessary to promote this new law amongst law
enforcement officials if we are to make progress in the fight
against human trafficking. Many times efforts to punish human
traffickers fail because of lack of knowledge of the legal
framework by officials.”



The new Counter Trafficking Law came into effect in January and
constitutes an important step in the fight against trafficking in
Peru, a country that ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
Punish Trafficking in Persons in 2003.



Peru is considered a country of origin and destination for
international trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. But men
and children are also trafficked for forced labour in the mining
and wood industries. According to several reports, the majority of
trafficking takes place inside the country.



The extent of trafficking can be confirmed by the number of calls
placed to the IOM human trafficking hotline; more than 8,000 calls
were received in its first year of operation, with 60 referrals of
potential cases referred to the police for investigation.



For further information please contact

Dolores Cortés

IOM Lima

Tel: +51.1.2217209

Email: "mailto:dcortes@iom.int">dcortes@iom.int