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As a service provider, UNIAP Myanmar provides a platform for action on trafficking. We facilitate closer, more effective working relationships, and act as a catalyst for these relationships to translate into action:
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Building the Knowledge Base on Human Trafficking |
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UNIAP Myanmar office established a Reference Centre on Human Trafficking, the first resource centre on the issue inMyanmar. The list of resources was compiled and shared with the partner agencies. A library loan system was also created in order to make the reference centre user-friendly. The centre, which is housed in the UN Information Centre, has been utilised by the UN agencies, Government and NGOs, as well as students and other interested persons.
An e-based News Digest is also circulated every Thursday with updates on trafficking news and activities to all partner agencies at the national level, as well as to the other UNIAP country teams.
Mapping of anti-trafficking interventions by all actors has also been undertaken and is regularly updated and shared with partners. This allows all to see who is doing what and where on anti-trafficking projects and to identify the gaps, overlaps, vulnerabilities and priorities in the existing anti-trafficking interventions in Myanmar.
With the aim to serve as an information resource and to make the trafficking-related documents available and accessible to the Myanmar-speaking community, UNIAP also supported the Ministry of Home Affairs in the translation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its two protocols - Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) and Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.
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Supporting Action on High Priority Areas |
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Since 2002, UNIAP has been facilitating and coordinating the quarterly Inter-Agency Working Group Meetings on Human Trafficking which includes UN and INGO partners. The meetings are chaired on a rotational basis and UNIAP provides secretariat services to these meetings.
In 2001, UNIAP and the Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs (MNCWA) initiated a Multi-Sectoral Mobile Team of Trainers on human trafficking. The Mobile Team comprises representatives from various related ministries. The team goes to all the provinces and trains service personnel on the issue. The training manual developed for this purpose has been widely used both inside and outside of Myanmar . To date, a total of 459 service-providers who are mid-level officials from Social Welfare, Immigration, Police, Attorneys, Judges, Health and Education have been trained.
During project phase one and two, UNIAP has been collaborating with and supporting the efforts of all actors on human trafficking from governmental, non-governmental and UN sectors. Specific training has also been given to an extensive number of local NGOs for capacity-building on the issues of Human Trafficking, Gender, Repatriation and Reintegration services and the International Instruments relevant to trafficking. UNIAP has also been supporting some partners for their anti-trafficking activities at the community level. Moreover, together with the Office of UN Resident Coordinator, UNIAP has jointly organized a review workshop on human trafficking with the UN and NGOs.
In 2004 and 2005, UNIAP and the Ministry of Home Affairs conducted a workshop and Training of Trainers on Human Trafficking with the Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice Officials - Police, Attorneys, Judges, Immigration, Labour, Foreign Affairs and General Administrative Departments.
Putting the partnership approach into practice, UNIAP organized a Law Review workshop with UNODC and the AusAID-funded ARCPPT project. UNIAP provided technical assistance to the law-drafting task force in drafting the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law in Myanmar, ranging from providing relevant references such as UN Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking, UN Legislative Guides for implementation of UN CTOC and its Protocols and Anti-Trafficking Laws of other countries for legislative review before drafting, to supporting a law review workshop that brought in international experts to facilitate discussion with the national experts which contributed much to the finalization of the law.
Regarding the repatriation of trafficked victims, UNIAP initiated informal, but systematic repatriation procedures between Thailand and Myanmar in 2001 and has been working together with concerned partners, both government and NGO, to further strengthen the existing mechanisms. One important area that UNIAP has been working on is the Government-to-Government process of repatriation between Thailand and Myanmar as well as assisting in identifying other venues for bilateral cooperation such as exchange visits.
Also at the request of its NGO partners, UNIAP has facilitated the establishment of an informal task force on repatriation with involvement of concerned government and NGO partners. The taskforce was launched in May 2004.
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Targeted Interventions that Respond to Identified Gaps |
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In project phase one, UNIAP undertook a study on out-migration pattern in the Dry Zone in central Myanmar, in collaboration with a UNDP/FAO project. This research led to the identification of what has now become an accepted issue of men being trafficked to fishing boats. Furthermore, a research-cum-awareness-raising on trafficking was conducted in Kayin State which is situated along Thailand-Myanmar border.
Together with UNFPA and MNWCWA, UNIAP also carried out a one-year pilot project entitled "Empowering Community-based Organizations to combat Human Trafficking" in a small town in Mon State , in collaboration with a community-based organization (CBO) as the implementing partner. Some of the achievements were provision of educational and other supports for 38 out-of-school children and provision of small loans to 70 poor families, with advocacy and awareness-raising on human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health to the local community.
UNIAP and UNICEF have also successfully accomplished a one-year joint project on advocacy, awareness-raising and capacity-building programmes. Some of the innovative interventions are the production of the first quarterly trafficking newsletter in Myanmar , named "Ah-thi Tha-di", production of an anti-trafficking poster, broadcasting TV spots through two national TV channels, and trafficking awareness raising workshops with Parents and Teachers Associations at the schools.
Likewise, UNIAP took part in and actively supported the workshop organized by ARCPPT and the Police Anti-trafficking Unit.
UNIAP is currently collaborating with AFXB, an INGO on a special prevention project on human trafficking and HIV/AIDS by working with the highway-bus and truck drivers at the high-way bus terminals and also collaborating with Myanmar Nurses Association, a local NGO on a pilot project with research-cum-awareness raising on HIV/AIDS, Migration and Trafficking with migrant workers and community.
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Strengthening Advocacy on the Issue of Human Trafficking. |
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In May 2003, UNIAP organized the first National Seminar on Trafficking in Persons, in collaboration with MNCWA, UNICEF and Save the Children (UK). The seminar was a success and greatly increased dialogue on human trafficking.
In collaboration with SC-UK, UNIAP has provided support for the production of advocacy and educational materials with anti-trafficking messages such as pamphlets, posters and comic books.
UNIAP initiated and coordinated with MWAF and UNICEF to develop ten TV spots/skits with messages on trafficking, child rights and child abuse. These TV spots were aired on two national TV channels.
UNIAP facilitated and coordinated with MOHA, MWAF and UNICEF in developing and producing a poster with messages on trafficking and victim protection.
Currently, UNIAP is coordinating with UN and NGO partners to develop videos, cartoons and/or comics with messages on HIV/AIDS, migration and trafficking situations.
Regarding the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) process, UNIAP Myanmar has been providing secretariat services to the COMMIT Task Force as in all other GMS countries.
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