Isatou Dabo made this disclosure on Thursday at a day’s training session designed for different security apparatuses at a ceremony held at the Banjul International Airport.
She expressed gratitude to Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and all other sister security forces for allowing their personnel to be part of the important training.
She dwelled on the growing nature of this heinous crime, acknowledging that most smugglers use entry points such as land, sea, or air.
“In The Gambia, the data we have recorded so far in respect of individuals who have been trafficked in The Gambia from other countries, and Gambians that left the soil to other countries either under the pretense of labor migration or search of greener pasture and end up being trafficked, we’ve realized that the airport is a major entry and exit point for these traffickers,” she added.
Dabo revealed that the agency does not have officials or personnel based at the airport round the clock to monitor migration, and immigration patterns as it should be.
However, she added that the capacity and human resources is already there by the different law enforcement agencies, citing the presence of State Intelligence Services (SIS), The Gambia Police (GPF), The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) or even non-Law enforcement officers.
“Since human tracking is an issue that requires humanitarian support, cooperation and coordination, it is key and fundamental that all stakeholders in the fight against trafficking in persons to, at least, have a basic understanding of element of trafficking in person.” she added.
This, she went on, will help them in identifying victims of trafficking, knowing the indicators and what the potential signs of trafficking as well as knowing how to refer them to appropriate services in the event they encounter certain cases of TIP.
Also speaking, Abdoulie Colley, director Airport Operations at The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA), thanked the agency for reaching out to sensitise their personnel on this important topic.
The training, he added, would arm them with the prerequisite knowledge and skills to be able to easily identify trafficked victims.
Colley expressed optimism that after the training, participants will not only learn new insights but would also share important issues relating to TIP.
