Repository of Practices
Primary GCM Objectives
GCM Guiding Principles*
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Dates
2023 - 2024
Geographic scope
Country:
Regions:
Sub Regions:
Summary
The process of Venezuelan mobility has intensified since approximately 2016. Although official figures are not available, it is estimated that:
- This mobility has become fertile ground for the operation of trafficking networks inside and outside the country, and
- The population of children, adolescents and women affected by the trafficking phenomenon has increased year after year.
In this scenario, UNICEF joined the efforts to prevent and respond to a crime that represents one of the cruelest forms of human rights violations and gender-based violence, and that not infrequently results in impunity for the perpetrators and the re-victimization of survivors due to lack of knowledge and uncertain or opaque handling by the authorities and society. The objective of UNICEF's programming has been to contribute to strengthening the capacities of officials in the fulfillment of their functions to identify, investigate and prosecute this crime. In connection with this, the main activities of have been:
- Preparation and training on the manual for the Investigation of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women, Children and Adolescents (with technical support from UNICEF Headquarters and UNICEF’s Regional Office in Latin America and the Caribbean) and reprinting of the training manual for officials of the Ombudsman's Office on the prevention of trafficking in persons
- Wide dissemination of informative material on the prevention of trafficking and where to turn
- Training of officials of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ombudsman's Office and other state authorities (police, state security and child protection system officials) on the identification of the phenomenon of trafficking and their roles in prevention and response, especially when children and adolescents are involved. In these trainings, use has been made of the materials prepared.
Organizations
Main Implementing Organization(s)
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Detailed Information
UNICEF Country Office in Venezuela
Partner/Donor Organizations
Government of Venezuela
Benefit and Impact
While an impact evaluation has not been carried out, the following information is available about the impact of the programme in 2023:
a) 226 officials (130 women and 96 men) have been trained in the prevention of human trafficking, especially women and children and adolescents by the Ombudsman's Office, including its own officials and other state organizations (mainly administrative, judicial and security).
b) More than 300 officials of the Public Prosecutor's Office and other institutions and services of the child protection system received theoretical and practical knowledge on the investigation of the crime of trafficking in persons, especially women, children and adolescents in Venezuela (Apure, Aragua, Cojedes, Portuguesa y Carabobo, pending Táchira, Bolívar and Sucre).
c) More than 300 people linked to social organizations in border states received information to detect the problem and know where to turn (Bolivar, Zulia, Táchira, Sucre, Apure y Amazonas, Miranda and Caracas).
d) The Public Prosecutor's Office has been reporting cases in which the interventions of its own officials and those of the child protection system have been better and more successful in the last year.
a) 226 officials (130 women and 96 men) have been trained in the prevention of human trafficking, especially women and children and adolescents by the Ombudsman's Office, including its own officials and other state organizations (mainly administrative, judicial and security).
b) More than 300 officials of the Public Prosecutor's Office and other institutions and services of the child protection system received theoretical and practical knowledge on the investigation of the crime of trafficking in persons, especially women, children and adolescents in Venezuela (Apure, Aragua, Cojedes, Portuguesa y Carabobo, pending Táchira, Bolívar and Sucre).
c) More than 300 people linked to social organizations in border states received information to detect the problem and know where to turn (Bolivar, Zulia, Táchira, Sucre, Apure y Amazonas, Miranda and Caracas).
d) The Public Prosecutor's Office has been reporting cases in which the interventions of its own officials and those of the child protection system have been better and more successful in the last year.
Key Lessons
a) The production of high-quality technical material for a country suddenly and extensively affected by a critical situation of mobility and trafficking implies the integration within UNICEF of the information, knowledge and experiences available at the global, regional and local levels.
b) The training process requires not only the sharing of information, but especially innovation, dialogue, motivation, and discernment to dismantle socio-cultural patterns that hinder the detection and attention to punishable acts against children and adolescents, such as trafficking. The training activities have used videos in which the actors have been public officials and this has had a great impact on the understanding that anyone can be affected by the phenomenon and the importance of the proper role played by each institution according to its competencies.
c) The training process initiated has led to the regular inclusion of these contents in the curriculum of different training institutions or schools for judges, prosecutors, ombudsmen, and public defenders, as well as in university and other types of training for other actors in the system of protection of children and adolescents, including civil society.
d) Coordination among all the actors involved in both prevention and response is imperative. They have been observed reflecting and to some extent attending to "current cases" taking advantage of the training space.
b) The training process requires not only the sharing of information, but especially innovation, dialogue, motivation, and discernment to dismantle socio-cultural patterns that hinder the detection and attention to punishable acts against children and adolescents, such as trafficking. The training activities have used videos in which the actors have been public officials and this has had a great impact on the understanding that anyone can be affected by the phenomenon and the importance of the proper role played by each institution according to its competencies.
c) The training process initiated has led to the regular inclusion of these contents in the curriculum of different training institutions or schools for judges, prosecutors, ombudsmen, and public defenders, as well as in university and other types of training for other actors in the system of protection of children and adolescents, including civil society.
d) Coordination among all the actors involved in both prevention and response is imperative. They have been observed reflecting and to some extent attending to "current cases" taking advantage of the training space.
Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)
The training activities have led to the consideration of recommendations such as the following:
a) The creation and institutionalization of a Specialized Working Group on prevention and response to trafficking in persons and especially of children and adolescents with the participation and leadership of state institutions is required.
b) The state organizations involved in security and police require the creation of a specific training process for them and sufficient resources.
c) Training for public servants involved in the national and municipal system for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents should continue in a systematic and permanent manner, with special emphasis on border and tourist areas, as well as consular and diplomatic missions.
d) National officials need to be updated with some regional experiences in the care, assistance, and protection of victims of trafficking in persons with particular reference to children and adolescents.
a) The creation and institutionalization of a Specialized Working Group on prevention and response to trafficking in persons and especially of children and adolescents with the participation and leadership of state institutions is required.
b) The state organizations involved in security and police require the creation of a specific training process for them and sufficient resources.
c) Training for public servants involved in the national and municipal system for the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents should continue in a systematic and permanent manner, with special emphasis on border and tourist areas, as well as consular and diplomatic missions.
d) National officials need to be updated with some regional experiences in the care, assistance, and protection of victims of trafficking in persons with particular reference to children and adolescents.
Innovation
The training is being applied at the national level by two strong alliances with the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman's Office. Other state institutions and civil society organizations are also multiplying the information and particularly where to go for assistance.
There are two innovative aspects of the practice that can be replicated:
- Inter-institutional meetings prior to the training exercise defining roles and responsibilities. In this case, the Ombudsman's Office has taken on more general or broad prevention training, including state security agencies, while the Public Prosecutor's Office has focused on training its own officials and others involved in crime investigation.
- Innovative techniques used in training, such as videos aimed at the prevention of the phenomenon prepared with the participation of public officials themselves.
There are two innovative aspects of the practice that can be replicated:
- Inter-institutional meetings prior to the training exercise defining roles and responsibilities. In this case, the Ombudsman's Office has taken on more general or broad prevention training, including state security agencies, while the Public Prosecutor's Office has focused on training its own officials and others involved in crime investigation.
- Innovative techniques used in training, such as videos aimed at the prevention of the phenomenon prepared with the participation of public officials themselves.
Additional Resources
Media
Date submitted:
26 June 2024
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).