IOM has conducted a training of trainers (ToT) for law enforcement officers in Zambia, using a newly developed handbook on the country’s 2008 Anti-Human Trafficking Act.
The five-day training, held at the National Police Training College in the capital Lusaka was designed to provide participants with the necessary skills to train other law enforcement officers on how to implement Zambia’s anti-human trafficking law.
The course focused on the need for sensitivity in dealing with victims of human trafficking. Eighteen law enforcement officers from the Zambia Police, the Department of Immigration and the Ministry of Home Affairs Research and Planning Unit (HARID). arious government departments attended.
The training handbook was developed by IOM in close coordination with the Law Enforcement Expert Group, composed of law enforcement officers from the Zambian Ministry of Home Affairs and other relevant institutions, brought together specifically for this purpose.
‚Although the enactment of the 2008 anti-trafficking law was a great achievement for Zambia, its implementation has been challenging. IOM is committed to supporting the government in the implementation of the law and both the handbook and the training is designed to do just that,‘ said IOM Zambia Chief of Mission Andrew Choga.
The handbook includes chapters on the definition of trafficking in persons, victim identification and treatment, human trafficking investigation, as well as case studies and practical exercises.
The trained officers will in turn train 100 additional officers across the country, with support from IOM. IOM is in the process of developing a similar handbook for prosecutors, as a complement to the law enforcement handbook and training.
According to the US State Department’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, Zambia is a source, transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.
Zambia enacted its first anti human trafficking legislation in 2008 and has since demonstrated increased anti- trafficking law enforcement efforts by convicting a trafficking offender and by investigating and prosecuting additional suspected trafficking cases.
Source: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/media/press-briefing-notes/pbnAF/cache/offonce/cache/offonce?entryId=31242
