Informing the population about the problem of international human traffic is the goal of a project developed by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The agency will begin to hold seminars this month in various Brazilian capitals. The idea is to provide people with orientations on the risks, chiefly for women and adolescents, as well as to train members of the police on how to handle the victims, who are frequently not treated correctly.
The seminars will be held first in capital cities of Belém (state of Pará), São Paulo (São Paulo), João Pessoa (Paraíba), Florianópolis (Santa Catarina), and Brasília (Federal District).
The coordinator of the ILO project, Claudia Dias, said that, in Brazil, the campaign against human trafficking has been discussed with society, but much remains to be done.
She says that the seminars will make the risks clearer to people and make public safety professionals more sensitive to this issue.
According to Dias, the process began last November with a large-scale national seminar.
“We are transferring this preparation to the regions, because each region has its own peculiarities. Trafficking in the North is different from trafficking in the Southeast, and the objective, besides increasing awareness among public safety professionals and legal practitioners, is to make it operative in their daily routines.”
She explains that the biggest victims are needy, socially excluded women and girls who, in many cases, have children.
In light of the difficulties they face in obtaining work and surviving, they are easily victimized. In Dias’ view, making them more aware of the problem is the main form of prevention.
According to data recently released by the ILO, over 2 million people in situations of forced labor around the world are victims of international human trafficking. Approximately 43% of the victims are used for purposes of sexual exploitation.
According to a survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the international trafficking of women and children accounts for around nine billion dollars in business annually, losing out only to drug and contraband arms traffic.
It is estimated that each human being transported illegally from one country to another generates profits of up to US$ 30 thousand for criminal networks.
Agência Brasil