UNCLAS VALLETTA 000103


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KFRD PHUM ELAB ASEC PREF MT
SUBJECT: MALTA ORGANIZES TRAFFICKING TRAINING FOR POLICE
AND SOCIAL WORKERS

REF: VALLETTA 74



1. Summary. On February 23 and 24, Maltese police and social
workers underwent training on preventing, identifying and
protecting victims of trafficking in persons (TIP). In the
workshop, with more than 80 individuals in attendance,
Maltese officials who had participated in a
'train-the-trainers' course in November 2008 used the
curriculum they developed at that session to train their
counterparts in their respective agencies. Malta's Minister
for Social Policy, John Dalli, opened the training session
and called for &a collective effort to reduce demand,
prevent potential victims, and protect current victims.8
The event received extensive press coverage from print and
television media. End summary.


2. In November 2008, the GOM sought and received EU funding
for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to
organize a 'train-the-trainers' session for key police and
social workers. The IOM-led training was aimed at building a
curriculum in order to conduct internal training sessions
within the participants' respective organizations. As a
follow-on to the November 'train-the-trainers' session,
newly-trained trainers on February 23 and 24 conducted two
day-long seminars for Maltese police and social workers. The
head of the Police Vice Squad, Ray Aquilina, the head of the
trafficking office at the Social Welfare Services Agency
(Appogg), Maryanne Gauci, and a legal expert, Jean-Pierre
Gauci, led training sessions for over 80 individuals on
preventing, identifying and protecting victims of trafficking
in persons (TIP).


3. The officials who participated in the seminars included
the police immigration and vice squads, staff at the migrant
closed and open detention centers, emergency health officials
at the state hospital, over 30 social workers from Appogg and
8 social workers from the GOM agency tasked with the
Integration and Welfare of Asylum Seekers (OIWAS), and all 4
individuals who staff the 24-hour hotline that potential
victims can call for assistance. Several law students and
two local magistrates also participated in the seminar.


4. The seminar focused on the key tenets of the
anti-trafficking efforts: identifying victims, approaching,
supporting and protecting victims, and interagency
cooperation for intervention, prevention and prosecution.
John Dalli, the Minister for Social Policy, opened the
training session by calling for "a collective effort to
reduce demand, prevent potential victims, and protect current
victims." One key aim of the session was to enhance
interagency cooperation on trafficking; Inspector Aquilina of
the Vice Squad had conducted training sessions for 60 police
officials in January 2009, but many of these also
participated in the February sessions, both as a refresher
and to strengthen interagency contacts.


5. During the seminar, Aquilina highlighted the legislation
Malta had enacted to combat trafficking and prosecute
traffickers; he also reviewed the trafficking cases that the
Police had encountered in Malta dating back to 2004. In
reviewing the cases, Aquilina pointed out that all cases of
human trafficking in Malta were related to sexual
exploitation, there had been no cases reported regarding
minors or forced labor. Aquilina described the way the
trafficking networks operate, the difference between
trafficking and human smuggling, and how to identify
potential victims. Maryanne Gauci from Appogg then explained
how to respond to and treat a potential victim, and how to
offer appropriate assistance. Jean-Pierre Gauci addressed
the value of interagency cooperation in resolving cases and
prosecuting offenders.


6. In addition to imparting skills and knowledge to the
participants, the seminars served to highlight the issue of
trafficking to the Maltese public. There was extensive press
coverage from print and television media, including the two
leading English language dailies and Malta's most-watched
news program. The coverage included Minister Dalli,s
remarks, as well as tips from Inspector Aquilina on how to
refer these crimes to the police, who, he promised, would
always protect the confidentiality of sources. The article
in the Times of Malta also covered last year,s case of the
Swedish victim of trafficking discovered in a brothel.


DAVIS