The capacity buiding underway at National Nutrition Agency (NaNA) also forms part of the agency’s commitment to combating this heinous crime, thus safeguarding the rights and dignity of those most succesptible.
The training also seeks to expose the new intake to issues relating to key indicators and signs to be able to detect and save victims of TIP and National Referral Mechanism (NRM), will attract 50 participants per-day during the course of the week.
Welcoming the gathering, Isatou Dabo, executive director of the NAATIP, undercsored the importance of the training, acknowledging that for majority of the participants, the advocacy will be one of the many professional trainings they will undergo at the start of their career as immigration personnel.
“Secondly, the topics in which you will be trained on are topics that are very technical in nature and you probably would not have received any form of training in this regard in your day-to-day training of becoming an immigration officers.”
To that end, she highlighted the importance of the forum which seeks to arm participants with the requisite skills and knowlwdge on some of the indicators and signs to be able to detect and save vicitms of TIPs.
The training, she added, is the first time in the country that such a large number of security personnel are being trained on issues relating to human trafficking.
She however, noted that it is not about the number, but the impact the training would create in their continued advocacy to stem the rise of this henious crime in the country.
Dabo while underscoring the role and mandate of security officers in combating human trafficking, further acknowledged that security personell have a fundamental, key and vital role in what the agency does.
“You are a key stakeholder and a partner and this is the start of strengthening the already existing collaboration between GID and the agency.”
Deputising for the Director General of The Gambia Immigration Department, Ebrima Jahateh, deputy DG GID, hailed the training as ‘laudable and timely’, saying the activity is in line with the deparment’s strategy plan which envisage a vibrant and resilient workforce for development.
The activity, he added, also goes to show further that the department is not working in isloation, but rather through positive collaboration and exchange of experiences towards meeting the ultimate goal of protecting the citizens.
“I am sure that you the participants will be adequatley informed of responsibilities of delaing with such issues as you partake in this service to the nation.”
Assistant DG Jahateh reminded the new intake of the mantra of monitoring the movement of people within and out fo the country, saying their presence to engage in this activitiy for professional developent is by no means accidental.
Human trafficking, he added, is a serious and complex crime that involves the exploitation of people for various crimes as forced labour, sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude.
To that end, he reminded the officers of their crucial role in identifying and assisting in the curbing of this menace, hence the importance of the acvitity.
