IOM and C&A Foundation strengthen prevention of trafficking in persons in Mexico

Date Publish: 
12/02/2019

Mexico City - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the C&A Foundation, affiliated with the international clothing brand of the same name, will train members of industrial chambers, public officials and members of civil society from the state of Puebla.

This public-private alliance seeks to strengthen the mechanisms of intersectoral coordination and the capacities of the government, civil society and the private sector of the state of Puebla to prevent, detect and assist victims of human trafficking, forced labour and child labour. The project will seek to achieve this objective through theoretical-practical workshops and working groups.

According to the State Ministry of Welfare, Puebla is lagging behind other states in terms of social development, with 59.5% of its population in poverty. This, coupled with the poor regulation and supervision by labour authorities and the normalization of precarious labour conditions, allows for the proliferation of trafficking in persons for the purpose of labour exploitation, forced labour and child labour.

“Given the problem of trafficking in persons in Mexico, IOM faces this challenge by promoting the link between the public and private sectors to generate coordination mechanisms aimed at establishing actions for the benefit of providing social integration and assistance to victims of trafficking,” said Christopher Gascon, Head of Mission of IOM Mexico.

For his part, Stephen Birtwistle, Manager of the Labour Rights Program at Fundación C&A, said that “Mexico is going through a historic moment of renewing its rights. However, there are still many challenges. It is imperative to equip all key actors with the necessary skills to identify, eradicate and prevent forced labour in the apparel industry in Mexico. It is essential to add the voices of the public, private and civil society sectors, and we believe that this will mean the success of this initiative to combat labour exploitation in the industry”.

The C&A Foundation is present in eight countries collaborating on projects with more than 300 non-governmental organizations on five programs.

For more information contact Vanessa Foronda, IOM Mexico, email: vforonda@iom.int, Tel: +55 5536 3922 Ext. 107, or the Communication & Media team of IOM Mexico, Email: iommexicocomunica@iom.int, Tel: +55 5536 3922 Ext. 119.

Tags: 
Fundación C&A, trata de personas, trata

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020

Date Publish: 
30 / 07 / 2020

António Vitorino

Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM) 

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 

 30 July 2020 

 

This year is the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, and its historic Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. 

We are half-way through a very difficult year for everyone, and our contemporary challenges have had a severe impact on people’s vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation. 

IOM was implementing counter-trafficking interventions in accordance with human rights principles long before the Palermo Protocol gave us the clearly defined parameters that we know today. And likewise, our interventions have evolved over time as new forms of trafficking have emerged. 

We have learned, as have governments, that it is imperative to partner with the private sector, trade unions, supply chain auditors, and recruitment agencies to put in place practices to reduce the risks of trafficking and exploitation. 

As we embark upon a new decade, the world is now confronted with perhaps our biggest challenge to counter-trafficking – that of a pandemic, that has in addition brought severe restrictions to mobility, impacted livelihoods, and limited access to vulnerable people. COVID-19 has brought a devastating impact upon the household security and health of billions of people all over the world, which inevitably heightens vulnerability and risk of exploitation, whether it is job-seekers taking hazardous journeys, families relying on child labour for survival, or the marriage of young daughters in a desperate attempt to relieve economic strain. 

Now, as we have always done, the anti-trafficking community must evolve and adapt to this new crisis, finding innovative ways to identify trends, to screen for vulnerabilities, to support States while advocating for human rights and the prevention of abuse, and to seek safe and viable options for those who will remain on the move.  Let's move into this direction together, as united we are stronger! 

End