Stakeholders being trained to identify, protect child trafficking victims

Stakeholders in the justice sector are being trained on how to identify and provide support to child trafficking victims.

The online course training, which is partnership between Ministry of Justice's, Justice Training Institute (JTI) and the Warnath Group,  forms part of the Jamaica and United States Child Protection Compact (CPC) Criminal Justice initiative.

The customised training programme targets justice sector personnel and individuals who may interact with children who are victims of crime.

The purpose of the CPC partnership, formed in 2018, is to strengthen the efforts of the Jamaican government to effectively prosecute and convict child traffickers, to work with civil society to identify victims of child trafficking, and to provide care for child victims.

The course is designed to allow participants to identify and address child trafficking, to interact with child victims and witnesses of human trafficking in a trauma-informed, child-friendly way, and to raise participants' awareness about where to receive assistance when treating with matters related to child trafficking.

“As the training arm of the Ministry, we are seeking to provide training opportunities as part of our mandate to meet the needs within the justice sector. Our children continue to be targets of human trafficking and we want to expose as many individuals to the realities of this crime, and to put them in a position to assist with anti-human trafficking efforts,” explained Director/Principal of the JTI, Karen Campbell-Bascoe.

The first offering of the training programme started this month with a pilot cohort and will continue to be offered in successive months, over several cohorts.

After the pilot cohort, the JTI will invite participants from across the wider public and private sector.

On successful completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate.

“The course will also empower participants to adopt and use victim-centred techniques when treating with child victims of human trafficking. We are therefore encouraging front-line responders and practitioners to register for this opportunity, as they will gain a deeper understanding and increased knowledge of trafficking regarding child victims and witnesses,” said Campbell-Bascoe.

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