IOM Builds Civil Society Capacity to Combat Human Trafficking in Morocco

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 2, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- IOM Morocco and IOM's Regional Office for West Africa in Dakar have organized a training for civil society organizations on the protection and reintegration of victims of trafficking in Morocco.

The workshop, requested by Caritas and funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation, provided an overview of Morocco's legal framework and focused on the challenges in dealing with victims of trafficking, their identification and assistance. Participants also learnt also about the differences between human smuggling and trafficking.

As Morocco moves from being a country of emigration to one of transit for West and Central African migrants trying to reach Europe, incidences of human trafficking appear to be on the increase. Over the past 12 months, IOM Morocco and partner agencies have handled some 30 cases.

Many irregular migrants pay human smugglers in their country of origin to help them to reach Europe, but then fall victim to exploitation and abuse by human traffickers. Women and adolescents are particularly vulnerable.

In Morocco, trafficking victims currently have no special protection under the law, which makes it difficult for humanitarian agencies to help them. But the Government is making significant efforts to revise the legal framework.

The U.S. Department of State's 2012 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report classifies Morocco as Tier 2 country whose government does not fully comply with the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with those standards.