CIFAL Jeju & KOICA Training on Human Security and the Prevention of Human Trafficking in the Asia-Pacific Region
Human trafficking, the largest slave trade in history, is a crime against humanity that poses perennial threats to human security. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transfering, harbouring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them. As such, it is an outright violation of human rights.
Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Every country in the world is affected by trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit or destination for victims.
Statistics from the UN International Labor Organization (ILO) show that there are 9.49 million people in forced labor in the Asia-Pacific region as 2005. Women and children in this region face great risk as they comprise at least 56% of the trafficking victims. At least 200,000 to 225,000 of them are trafficked from Southeast Asia annually, and most of the trafficking destinations are also within the region.
Cities in the Asia-Pacific region can substantially improve the situation by focusing and sharing experiences on the prevention of trafficking, prosecution of traffickers and the protection and reintegration of survivors. Various regional efforts are being made to combat the trafficking industry.
Human security is a concept that encompasses virtually all aspects of our life. It is also a concept inseparably related to human rights and human development. This workshop falling under the thematic area “Human Security and Safety” is the first of its kind to be conducted within the CIFAL Network. Human trafficking, the topic of this workshop, is only one of the wide-ranging issues of human security, but it is a topic worth starting with in addressing them.
With the support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) this workshop specifically targets security officials within local governments and cities, seeking to build their capacities in addressing trafficking in the region's urban centres. The workshop will:
- provide lectures on human security concept, regional trends in trafficking and anti-trafficking measures, and prevention of human trafficking through various good security practices at the sub-regional level;
- provide assistance for urban security officials to better map and identify local, national, and regional stakeholders for partnership;
- bring about city-to-city cooperation to improve capacity in planning and implementing security measures to prevent human trafficking.
- To increase awareness on human security and human trafficking, especially women and children, in the region;
- To identify key challenges and recognize best practices and lessons learned to prevent human trafficking and, as well as policy measures for enhancing human security at the local level;
- To have specific action plans for local implementation and follow-up of lessons learned (via city-to-city cooperation, awareness raising activities, inter-governmental coordination, and other practical implementation examples).
The workshop contents are composed of the following:
- Introduction of Human Security Concept;
- Overview on the regional trends in trafficking and anti-trafficking measures with a focus on security and policing;
- Prevention and Prosecution of Trafficking;
- Protection and reintegration of Victims;
- Introduction of toolkits and mapping matrix developed by the UN agencies.
Workshop CITYSHARE Methodology :
- Keynote Presentations and Participatory Discussions
- Focus groups
- Case Studies from local governments security officials and Analysis
- Site Visits
- Development of outcome-oriented action plans, for short-medium term follow-up on results attained from participation in training
Local stakeholders representing police and security services within urban centres in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sponsorship is available, especially for participants from Asia-Pacific Least Developed Countries. Kindly apply online or contact sara.castro [at] unitar.org (sara[dot]castro[at]unitar[dot]org)