The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Morocco organised, on 5 and 6 May 2022 in Rabat, a training session for social workers of the Ministry of Justice on the identification, protection and referral of victims of trafficking in human beings. Trafficking in human beings is a multifaceted phenomenon and a crime characterised by inhumane forms of abuse and exploitation; the persons most vulnerable to the various forms of violence and isolation, such as unaccompanied and separated children, are even more exposed to the risk of trafficking.
Thus, as part of capacity-building in the identification, protection and referral of trafficking victims, 25 social workers (21 women, 4 men) from the Ministry of Justice took part in the training, which was held over a day and a half and included theoretical and practical contributions, adopting a participatory approach through case studies and role-playing exercises.
Given the complexity of the subject of trafficking in persons, the interactive nature of the training enabled participants to obtain answers to their many questions. They were also able to share their respective experiences and the challenges they face. Mr Rachid Meziane, Head of the Women’s and Children’s Affairs Service at the Ministry of Justice and member of the secretariat of the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings, spoke during the training on the module on the national legal framework and held a question-and-answer session.
“A social worker is like a plant: you have to water it often through training to see it flourish,” said one participant during the training, echoing the other social workers present, who noted the relevance of the presentations and the facilitators’ knowledge of the subject. A significant number of participants expressed the need to be trained on similar topics. The wish to deepen their knowledge of violence against women and children, forced labour of minors, and assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings in Morocco was also a recurring theme during the evaluation of the training.
This training was organised under the “African Regional Migration Programme”, funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the United States Department of State, and implemented in partnership with the Directorate of Migration Affairs of the Department of Moroccans Living Abroad and the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings.
