Myanmar women leaders set up neighbourhood watch on trafficking

Preventing human trafficking through community-based intervention was the theme of a workshop held in April for women community leaders in Myanmar.

The aim of the workshop, which ran from 30 March to 1 April, was to provide participants with tools and knowledge to be able to identify trafficking risk factors within their own communities, and take action to mitigate them.

Thirty women leaders from the rural provinces of Pathein, Myaungmya, Kyonpyaw and Hinthada, attended the workshop. They were encouraged to share the new knowledge and skills they acquired at the workshop with people in their own communities, and to work together to establish community watch-groups to help prevent trafficking taking place.

Women living in rural areas in Myanmar are particularly at risk of human trafficking. Many have few employment opportunities and little or no formal education, making them vulnerable targets for traffickers.

The workshop was co-organised by UNIAP and the Pwo Kayin Baptist Conference (PKBC) organisation. The PKBC has a department dedicated to women’s development and empowerment, which runs regular training workshops for women community leaders.

For more information on human trafficking in Myanmar, take a look at the SIREN Myanmar Country Datasheet.