Trafficking in Persons Investigations Training in Uganda

32 investigators from various parts of Uganda were trained on how to conduct TiP investigations, and Willow International provides a victim's perspective to the training and how the partnership between CID and the CSO’s work.

With the COVID-19 outbreak reshaping the lives of people around the world, civil society workers and organizations are being called to respond to an unprecedented global health and economic challenge while simultaneously facing heavy constraints on how they are able to operate.

Willow International in Uganda has shared an update that describes how their organization is responding to the current crisis situation.

Induction training for new officers involved in the investigation of trafficking in persons was conducted on 20 and 21 February 2020 at the Human Trafficking Institute in Uganda. Thirty-two investigators from various regions of Uganda took part. Willow International provided a victim’s perspective as part of the training and explained the partnership between crime investigation departments and civil society organizations.

The objective was to induct new officers and give them training in the investigation of new cases, as well as training in identification of and differentiation between TIP and non-TIP cases and referral pathways. The training also focused on how to conduct victim-centered investigations in line with the trauma-informed approach. Collaborative and Intelligent, Re-active and Proactive investigations were taught, as well as training on the filing of documentation.

A session with a panel of case managers was held with Willow International to give more insight into the survivor’s perspective, a look at what had gone well and what had gone wrong during investigations by officers, and the improvements needed when taking initial statements from survivors. An overview of immigration was given, as well as a talk on the difference between migration, smuggling, and trafficking in persons.

The panel urged the officers to embrace the trauma-informed approach so that less damage is done during investigations. Read more about the training in Willow International’s update here.

Kenya

Candle of Hope Foundation (CoHF)

The Girls for Girls Initiative campaign focuses on reducing child exploitation and sex trafficking rates in marginalized areas. It was initiated to provide training, technical assistance and resources for volunteers engaged in anti-trafficking efforts by CoHF, as well as to raise community awareness and public policy support.

This initiative is supported by well-wishers and friends of Candle of Hope Foundation. The objective for this campaign is to Increase awareness of trafficking routes and restore dignity to humanity in the horn of Africa.

CoHF aims to deliver the following outputs by Dec 2020:

100,000 residents are fully able to identify victims of human trafficking in the targeted regions
100,000 residents are aware of where and how whistleblowing is done. Cases reported to the authorities should increase
100,000 residents can understand the difficulties that victims experience after being trafficked

Additional volunteers have joined CoHF in the five regions they are targeting, both in Kenya and Somaliland. They have been able to reach out to more people through meetings held at bus terminuses and in other locations they are targeting. The findings of a post-activity survey show that more people are now able to identify potential victims of human trafficking and prevent those victims from being trafficked; more people are now aware of where and how whistleblowing can be conducted in case they suspect an issue; and more people understand the predicaments victims face if trafficked. Read the full update here.

HAART

Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) conducted 15 workshops during the reporting period. They held 13 community workshops in eight counties and participated in two workshops organized by Refuge Point and RefuSHE in partnership with the Refugee Affairs Secretariat Kenya.

In February, beneficiaries of young@HAART, together with RefuSHE and three artists, worked together on the production of two radio dramas. The dramas, which focus on adult and child trafficking, will be broadcast across the country via various community radio stations throughout the year. Find HAART’s monthly update here.

COUNTER HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRUST – EAST AFRICA

Compilation of Stories

South Africa

The National Freedom Network had some very successful engagements with government departments this quarter. These included a sector-specific training session on Trafficking in Persons for police officers, social workers, immigration officials, labour inspectors and nurses, with CEO Diane Wilkinson leading a phenomenal team of trainers. It was wonderful to see the different departments swapping numbers and committing to work together to fight trafficking. The power of partnership and collaboration.