The event was part of a broader awareness aimed at curbing this growing practice of human trading as business commodity. Also, the agency in the past has conducted series of training for security and other law enforcement officers especially on issues relating to National Referral Mechanism and TIP.
Welcoming the participants, Isatou Dabo, executive director of National Agency Against Trafficking-in-Person, described the training as very vital and fundamental part of their awareness raising and training campaigns that they have conducted over the past years.
She acknowledged that in the past they have organised series of training for a number of personnel from The Gambia Immigration Department (GID), Police, State Intelligence Services (SIS), Drug Law Enforcement Agency Gambia (DLEAG) and others.
"We all know when it comes to Trafficking-In-Persons, sexual exploitation is a very huge problem in that regard. If you go to the Tourism Development Area at a certain time, you see a lot of young girls and in most cases men as well, who are into sex work and we normally would call them prostitutes."
However, she added that one thing people would realise as time goes on is that, not every individual we see along the Senegambia strip or within the Tourism Development Area, is willingly engaged in sex work.
"Some of them or a good number of them are victims of human trafficking. It is therefore important that as law enforcement officers when we have an encounter with these individuals, we don't revictimise them."
Thus, she added, that the training is important as it would help security to be able to differentiate between someone that is a victim of trafficking, or someone who just chooses to work as a sex worker.
"Therefore, we need the training and we need the step-by-step guide when it comes to victim identification. "
She also outlined the need for security to be au-fait with the National Referral Mechanism and what the document is all about.
She thus called all to be steadfast during the training and be ready to learn and share experience with colleagues.
"During this training, I don't know everything about trafficking because trafficking is changing on a daily basis and we learn as we go. Equally, no question is a silly question. Let's respect each other's opinions and please if you don't understand ask."
