The Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire sign a memorandum of understanding on combating and preventing trafficking in human beings

The Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire signed, on Wednesday 18 December 2024 in Abidjan, a memorandum of understanding on combating and preventing trafficking in human beings. This bilateral agreement, signed on the Moroccan side by Mr Hicham Mellati, Director of Criminal Affairs, Pardons and Crime Monitoring, Coordinator of the National Commission for the Coordination of Measures to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings, and on the Ivorian side by Ms Myss Belmonde Dogo, Minister of National Cohesion, Solidarity and the Fight against Poverty, Executive Secretary of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, in the presence of the Ambassador of Morocco to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Mr Abdelmalek Kettani, and representatives of the International Organization for Migration, constitutes an important initiative towards strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the field of justice and a contribution to the joint efforts undertaken by the two brotherly countries in combating transnational organised crime. By signing this memorandum, the two parties hope to unify their joint efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings, in particular of women and children, by fostering awareness of and sensitisation to the dangers of this crime, especially among migrant populations, and by providing protection and support to victims of trafficking in human beings and assisting their reintegration into their home environment; while seeking to establish an efficient and flexible partnership in this field by facilitating the spontaneous exchange of information between the two national commissions in order to improve coordination among the various stakeholders and combat more effectively the criminal networks engaged in this crime.