Ecuador boosts regional response to fight human trafficking

IOM presents preliminary results of baseline research on the implementation process of the Mecanism of Regional Coordination.

By Isadora Zoni

Brasilia, April 18, 2022 — In the Thematic Workshop led by Ecuador on the thematic axis of human trafficking, aware of the enormous challenge posed  by the full functioning of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for the Prevention, Protection, Assistance and Prosecution of Human Trafficking Crime,  the leading country and IOM promoted a reflection on the internal practices of member countries.  

The workshop presented the preliminary results of the research conducted since 2021 by the IOM in the countries of the region, which outlines the baseline that will support the Regional Coordination Mechanism. The design of the baseline will allow evaluating the possibility of harmonization of common practices and the impact on interventions that institutional actors in countries carry out in order to generate positive results on people who are being or have been affected by this crime.

The Lima Declaration includes commitments that can be implemented to advance joint efforts to implement the Regional Coordination Mechanism for the Prevention, Protection and Assistance and Prosecution of Human Trafficking Crime, including a baseline survey.

As a good practice within the emergency response, in Ecuador plans were adopted to assist and protect Venezuelan citizens, including actions on human trafficking, aligned with the Action Plan against Trafficking in Persons 2019-2030. 

Through these policies, responses have been articulated to prevent, investigate, and prosecute crimes, as well as to protect Venezuelan victims in human mobility. In the same framework, the country managed, together with international organizations, several international cooperation projects that strengthened the national response to crime and favored specific actions against trafficking amid increased mixed migration flows from Venezuela.

Regional Coordination Mechanism 

Precisely for this type of action, the regional coordination mechanism was conceived within the framework of the Quito Process. With this, the institutions that deal with the theme, and that have competence at the national level, improve the level of regional coordination in the field of Prevention, Protection and Assistance, Judicialization and Processing.

The dialogue that took place on this issue around the Quito Process has opened the door to enormous opportunities, as it today allows member countries to promote joint action, which presents the region with a uniform and coordinated response, while addressing the humanitarian drama of human trafficking in major human mobility processes.

Tools and resources:

+ Indicadores del Mecanismo.
+ Instructivo de distribución.
+ Instructivo Formulario.
+ Nota Conceptual Trata de personas - Brasilia 2022.
+ Presentación Brasilia interna.