High-level Consultation of National and Provincial TIP Committees

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, September 25, 2022: Under the EU-funded GLO.ACT - Global Action to Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency, organized a high-level consultation workshop for National and Provincial Anti-Human Trafficking Committees on 21 September 2022.

 

This high-level national consultation aimed to provide an opportunity for all the members of National, provincial, and district-level anti-trafficking committees to meet and deliberate on their objectives. There were three main objectives of the consultation. First, there is a lack of understanding of trafficking by law enforcement officers. Secondly, there is a tendency to consider irregular migrants as offenders only but they are also victims. Thirdly, there was a lack of coordination among relevant actors at the federal, provincial, and district levels.

 

The lack of coordination and understanding of the distinction between trafficking, irregular migration, and smuggling of migrants was well brought out in the consultation. This consultation gave a more holistic framework for coordinated approaches.

 

During his welcome remarks, Dr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative UNODC Country Office Pakistan, said “Curbing human trafficking and migrants smuggling requires a coordinated response at all levels. Realizing this fact, the government of Pakistan notified provincial and district-level TIP Coordination committees earlier this year. We, as UNODC, are very pleased with this action by Pakistan and commend the efforts. We hope that there would be great coordination and synergy amongst all the stakeholders and that the activities will be conducted in a coordinated matter at all levels including Federal, Provincial, and District levels.”.

 

He further added, “The foundation for curbing TIP and SOM must be the Palermo Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, to which Pakistan is a signatory. Our approach needs to balance progressive and proactive law enforcement with activities that combat the market forces driving human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Pakistan.”.

 

During his speech, the Director-General FIA, Mr. Mohsin Hassan Butt, said, “We are improving our identification of potential victims and offering greater support to those who are victims of this abhorrent crime. Trafficking is a gross violation of a person’s basic rights and dignity and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, especially women and children. We are working jointly with UNODC and the European Union to enhance support to the victims of trafficking and vulnerable smuggled migrants. Our National Action Plan to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling is victim-centered and addresses the gaps related to it”.