Migratory Police of Costa Rica attends first workshop on first aid and psychosocial support

Costa Rica. On May 14, 2018, the Costa Rican Migration Police Staff attended their first training on first aid and psychosocial support for migrants. The Police staff is currently working in the Migrant Centers installed in the country, and at the airports. This initiative was implemented as part of a training week put on by IOM along with the Professional Migration Police and the Red Cross.

The training aimed to improve awareness and train law enforcement personnel on how to address complex cases or emergencies. It will enable them to strengthen their abilities to provide psychological assistance -through practical tools- to assist migrants with professionalism and efficiency when facing a crisis.

Some centers do not have doctors or medical specialists at night or during the weekends; thus, it is particularly important that the workshop taught migration personnel how to assist migrants, especially those in vulnerable situations, during medical or psychological emergencies.

The participants reported that the workshop provided important information, which they believed should be shared and replicated in other workshops to reach more personnel.

In Costa Rica the Mesoamerica Program has been developing strategic alliances with the Migratio Police to implement best practices for managing the Migrant Centers. This involves visits by IOM personnel to the centers, developing training workshops for their personnel on identifying and referring cases of human trafficking and smuggling, and technical support with IOM translators who facilitate procedures and communication between migrants and the staff working in the centers.