Health professionals will be able to learn about human trafficking through a virtual course from IOM
San José, Costa Rica The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is releasing a new course on human trafficking directed toward health providers. This course offers staff in the health field practical guidance to understand the crime of human trafficking. Additionally, it seeks to build the capacity of staff to recognize possible cases, understand the potential health problems associated with the crime, and be familiar with appropriate tools and focuses for assisting victims and potential victims of human trafficking.
This course is an adaptation of the “Guide for facilitators” and the “Guide for healthcare providers” from the two-day in-person course on healthcare and human trafficking, presented by IOM and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
“One of the big challenges in the fight against human trafficking in the region is adequate training for key personnel in different organizations in the countries. The role of health service providers can be very important for identifying potential cases of human trafficking. On the other hand, it is essential for these people to be trained to offer their services with a comprehensive focus that takes the experiences of trafficking survivors into account,” explained Rosilyne Borland, Regional Specialist in Protection and Assistance for Migrants at the IOM Regional Office for Central and North America and the Caribbean.
The course self-paced and free, takes approximately 3 hours, and is part of the E-Campus educational catalog IOM’s virtual migration learning platform. E-Campus has thousands of students all over the world and offers other related courses such as: Action on Human Trafficking for Consulates and Ministries and Secretariats of Foreign Affairs; Trafficking in persons: Protection and assistance to victims; and Trafficking in persons and prosecution.
The course will be available in Spanish starting March 5, and is being released as part of the Regional Congress on Human Trafficking for removal and trafficking of human organs and tissues, held in Guatemala City, with the objective of building capacities in the countries of the region to detect and fight this form of human trafficking.
The virtual course can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/2ScqIbL
Caring for Trafficked Persons: Guidance for Health Providers: https://publications.iom.int/books/caring-trafficked-persons-guidance-health-providers
Facilitator’s Guide: https://publications.iom.int/books/caring-trafficked-persons-guidance-health-providers-facilitators-guide
For more information, contact Alexandra Bonnie at abonnie@iom.int