Sudan, UNHCR & IOM sign on new strategy to combat human trafficking
May 27, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government, office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed on a joint strategy paper in Khartoum today to combat the growing wave of human trafficking.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also signed on to this strategy paper.
The state minister at the Ministry of the Interior Babiker Ahmed Digna said following the signing ceremony that Sudan is only hub for human smugglers and therefore suffers minimally unlike receiving countries which end up becoming the most affected.
He stressed that those considered victims of trafficking should now be viewed as partners in this crime because they are voluntarily working with smugglers.
The Sudanese commissioner for refugees Hamad al-Juzooli said that the new strategy developed is an extension of previous ones signed in 2013-2014 adding that donors made pledges to boost support after its proven success.
The UNHCR representative Mohammed Adar said that the joint cooperation with Khartoum succeeded in stopping the phenomenon of kidnapping in eastern Sudan and also led to a significant reduction in cases of human trafficking reported from 338 cases in 2012 to 113 in 2014 .
“There is still a long way to go to address this regional phenomenon effectively,” Adar cautioned.
“The number of refugees who have arrived in Sudan doubled in the past year, and the tragic deaths of more than 1,800 people this year in the waters of the Mediterranean, highlight the need for cross-border cooperation and searching for a solution in the long term,” he added.
(ST)