IOM trains officials of Costa Rican public institutions on migration and health, childhood, and adolescence

As a part of its Mesoamerica Program, IOM has developed training workshops with officials of public institutions on a variety of migration-related topics. This month they held workshops on migration and health with officials from the Ministry of Public Health, and also conducted the National Course on Migrant Children 2018, for staff of the National Child Agency (PANI).  

The objective of the migration and health workshops was to create a qualified, specialized team to address different situations relating to the connections between migration and health. They were held on the 24th and 31st of August, in cooperation with the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).

The National Course on Migrant Children 2018, for its part, featured the participation of 50 officials from the National Child Agency (PANI), and the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the Ombudsman, the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners, and the National Commission against Human Trafficking and Illegal Trafficking of Migrants (CONATT). 

The primary objective of this course was to analyze the country's progress on the issue of migrant children, the challenges, and the current needs. It considered the current situation, the international legal framework, and the national tools Costa Rica has developed, such as  protocols for assistance.   

Accordingly, it presented protocols related to assistance and protection for unaccompanied or separated migrant children outside their country of origin, assistance for underage victims or survivors of human trafficking, and the Protocol for detection, assistance, and comprehensive protection for minors requiring international protection. 

Silvia Artavia, psychologist and official of the General Directorate of Migration, commented that “these spaces enable PANI to receive training on crucial issues such as human trafficking, which is particularly important at the moment because human trafficking cases have increased in recent years.”