Nicaraguan Municipal Committees against Trafficking in Persons Prepare 2018 Action Plan

 
8 March, 2018

The 13 Municipal Committees that make up the Departmental Association against Trafficking in Persons in Chinandega, Nicaragua met to plan actions for 2018. 

 

Nicaragua. The 13 Municipal Committees that comprise the Departmental Coalition against Trafficking in Persons of Chinandega, Nicaragua, have been working on the preparation of a 2018 action plan, aimed at preventing the crime of trafficking in persons. 

The Departmental Delegation of the Ministry of the Interior, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration of the United Nations (IOM), provided technical support in order to establish actions for this year based on good practices, challenges and lessons learned from last year.

According to the Law against Trafficking in Persons (Law 896), among the functions of the National Coalition against Trafficking in Persons is the formulation of proposals for thematic and specialized inter-institutional protocols for the care, protection, reintegration and repatriation of the victims of trafficking. Likewise, it must promote and develop information campaigns on the methods of trafficking in persons, to promote awareness aimed at prevention and reporting mechanisms.

The actions that have been agreed on include the implementation of a communication and risk prevention strategy, which will include film forums, information fairs and other educative activities, aimed at parents, mothers and young students from vulnerable communities. Likewise, a group of trainers will be in charge of training members of the municipal anti-trafficking committees on issues related to the fight against the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons.

The action plan also includes the preparation of a diagnostic report on the migration context in each municipality, and the current situation regarding the crime of trafficking in persons, in order to establish preventative actions. 

The delegate of the Ministry of the Interior of Chinandega, Fanor Herrera, indicated that this year work will be carried out directly in vulnerable neighborhoods and schools, through facilitators who will be trained to carry out prevention and awareness actions in each of the municipalities.

"By carrying out work of prevention and awareness-raising regarding the consequences of trafficking in persons and irregular migration, we have become aware of what we are, what we need and what we want to be; of where we came from and where we want to go, in order to free our youth, adolescents and society from these chains" said the delegate.

According to the Migration Profile of Nicaragua, Chinandega is the second highest department of origin of migrants from Nicaragua - after Managua - and represents 11.5% of the total number of Nicaraguans abroad. According to IOM, more than 70 victims of trafficking in persons originated from this department last year, of which IOM was able to provide psychosocial care to 57.

The IOM Nicaragua Head of the Office, Paola Zepeda, said that "with this Program, IOM, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, joins the efforts and actions that the Government of Nicaragua is working on, aimed at the prevention of trafficking in persons and inter-institutional strengthening ".

With this initiative, the Mesoamerica Program is contributing to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals 5: Gender Equality and 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, which include goals to end mistreatment, exploitation, trafficking in persons and all forms of violence and torture against children