On Friday, July 24, The Franciscan Institute for Personal and Family Development, a ministry of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, hosted a human trafficking awareness one-day training workshop. This workshop was facilitated by the Ministry of National Security’s Counter Trafficking Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.
The attendees were from various international, regional and local organisations. Many represented NGOs, state agencies, schools and various faith-based organisations from countries such as Grenada, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Italy.
During the session, the attendees were briefed on the protocols set by the United Nations in the year 2000 where human trafficking is considered a crime. Here in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the law is listed under the Trafficking in Persons Act Chapter 12:10.
Each part of the five ‘P’ model of human trafficking—partnership, prevention, protection, prosecution, and policy—was presented. Focus was placed on the psychological aspect of human trafficking and how it affects victims of all ages, as well as the different forms of human trafficking including for labour, sexual purposes, child trafficking etc.
An interview with a victim and a local film based on trafficking for the purpose of drug smuggling were shown.
In the future, the Franciscan Institute for Personal and Family Development will be hosting upcoming anti-human trafficking sessions in an effort to raise awareness among the local population.
For more information on how you can participate in these sessions email adminassisst@franciscanintitute.org.