MALTA ORGANIZES TRAFFICKING TRAINING FOR POLICE

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