Burundi – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, in partnership with the Government of Burundi, trained migration officers on detection and prevention of human trafficking as well as identification of and support to victims.

The week-long training took place in the province of Gitega between 25 and 29 June. It involved 30 border officials and officers responsible for issuing documents in Burundi.

The training was supported by IOM’s African Capacity Building Centre (ACBC). It covered, among other things, understanding the phenomenon of human trafficking; international and national legal frameworks; and the detection of fraudulent documents. The training also focused on victim identification, referral, protection and assistance.

Burundi is a source country for trafficked persons, according to the US Trafficking in Persons Report.

Adults and children are coerced into forced labour, domestic servitude, prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation throughout the region and elsewhere in the world. Internally, children and adults are also trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation.

“Trafficking is a crime that preys on vulnerability,” said Niamh McEvoy, IOM Burundi Counter Trafficking Project Officer.  “In Burundi, factors including impoverishment, displacement, unemployment and severe climate events all contribute to opportunities for traffickers to exploit extremely vulnerable people.”

This training for law enforcement officers in Burundi complements another counter-trafficking training that was offered to immigration officers last year.

“Immigration officers play a front-line role in the fight against cross-border trafficking;” added McEvoy. “IOM is pleased to continue working with the Government of Burundi and partners to fight against human trafficking locally, regionally and internationally.”

Romuald Bahomvya, Burundi’s Deputy General Commissioner for Migration, said: “Prevention and assistance are at the forefront of our mission in this fight.

“This training will help the police officers in charge of managing migratory flows on the borders, and those responsible for issuing travel documents, to enhance their capacities in the fight against human trafficking and the fight against transnational crime,” he added.

The training was funded by the Government of Netherlands as part of a larger project to support the Government of Burundi and civil society partners to tackle human trafficking.

For further information, please contact Niamh McEvoy at IOM Burundi, Tel: +257 75400339, Email: nmcevoy@iom.int