The International Organization for Migration Special Liaison Office held a validation workshop on a Training Manual of Victim Centered Investigation of Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Cases in Ethiopia on Monday, 15 June, 2015.

The workshop was attended by a gathering of 22 participants from the Federal and Regional Police Commissions, Ethiopian Ministry of Justice as well as instructors from the Ethiopia Police University College (EPUC).

In an opening remark, H.E. Ato Mesfin Abebe, President of the Ethiopian Police University College (EPUC), reminded the audience of the dire consequences of TiP on the country and its citizens. He also stressed the importance of his institution in contributing to the general national effort to counter TiP.

This event marked the final stages of the development of a Training Manual on the Victim -Centered Investigation of TiP cases in Ethiopia by IOM and EPUC. This manual is meant to enhance the skills and knowledge of police cadets and investigators throughout the country regarding rights-based investigation of TiP cases. The manual entails five sections enriched with numerous case studies drawn from local and international experiences as well as a thorough study of the Ethiopian laws and ratified international legal Instruments pertaining to TiP and prosecution of its perpetrators.

The manual also adopts a victim-centered approach to investigating TiP cases in order to promote the protection of victims that can be often criminalized as stated by Sharon Dimanche, Migration Management Unit Project Officer at IOM.

The participants appreciated the potential of the manual to develop the skills of the country’s law enforcement officers and they also provided their input to make the document as pertinent to the Ethiopian context.

The manual will continuously be revised to incorporate latest legal instruments, such as the new legislation on TIP and smuggling. In addition, the manual will go hand in hand with the National Action Plan against TiP and the National Referral Mechanism of Victims of Trafficking and Vulnerable Migrants. 

Finally, it was suggested for the existing English and Amharic versions of the manual to be supplemented with versions in Tigrigna, Afaan Oromifa and Somali languages, three other prominent languages of the country.

For further information please contact Alemayehu Seifeselassie at IOM Ethiopia. Tel. +251 11 6611117 (Ext. 455), Email:salemayehu@iom.int