In partnership with the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, IOM under its “Assistance to Vulnerable Migrants and Capacity Building in Afghanistan” initiative conducted a three day workshop on Counter-Trafficking and Migration Management for the Afghan Border Police in Kabul.

Fifty Border Police Officers gathered from Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Balkh, Faryab, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces will gain a better understanding of human trafficking, its evolution, the underlying causes and the consequences of the crime. This workshop will have increased participants’ awareness of migration issues in order to support professional, ethical and efficient border management.

In October 2014, IOM Afghanistan had conducted a two-week Document Examination and Immigration Intelligence Training Workshop in Dubai for the Afghan Border Police as part of its series of workshops in this sphere.

Noting the emergence of suspected trafficking cases in southeastern and other border provinces, there is a strong need to raise the awareness of local authorities and communities on the nature and extent of the problem, and how to address it.

Said IOM Chief of Mission for Afghanistan Mr. Richard Danziger “We have been focusing our anti-human trafficking efforts in border provinces these past few months. We have seen considerable interest on the part of officials and community leaders alike in learning more about human trafficking and, more specifically, how to identify victims and provide them assistance”. 

The awareness of human trafficking among the public and authorities has increased over the last ten years according to an IOM-commissioned report soon to be published. This has led to more cases of both sexual and labour exploitation being identified including young female victims trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution in border areas.

The three-day workshop funded by the Government of Japan and facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), included fifty members of the Afghan Border Police. Participants learned how to identify suspected trafficking cases, the legal frameworks for prosecuting trafficking in Afghanistan, how to protect victims and the religious tenets against trafficking.

For further information, please contact Nasir Ahmad Haidarzai (+93 749 100 542, nhaidarzai@iom.int)