Moroccan Judiciary Study Human Trafficking

GENEVA, Switzerland, November 27, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM Morocco, in collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Justice and UNHCR, will this week host two workshops on human trafficking in Fes and Marrakesh.

Participants will include some 50 magistrates and public prosecutors from across Morocco, who will discuss the distinctions between human smuggling and human trafficking and the challenges facing law enforcement agencies tasked with combating the issue.

Morocco ratified the Palermo Protocol against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children in April 2011 and the workshops will provide a platform to discuss both the legal basis for prosecuting trafficking cases under Moroccan law and how to improve victim protection.

Morocco, with the support of IOM, UNHCR and the UN Country Team, is currently discussing how to implement its obligations under the Palermo Protocol and how to put in place an appropriate legal framework.

The workshops, which will include presentations by experts from the Austrian government and the ILO, are funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation.