IOM is today hosting a two-day workshop in the South Korean
capital, Seoul, for over 30 civil society representatives on
shelter management and direct assistance for victims of human
trafficking.

As the first event of its kind in South Korea, the event aims to
provide basic modules for shelter administration, victim
identification procedures, interview skills, and psychosocial
assistance.

Additionally, it brings in three international experts who will
introduce established victim identification procedures in China,
Japan and the European Union member states. 

South Korea is a source, transit, and destination country for
human trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation and forced
labour, according to the US government's annual Global Trafficking
in Persons (GTIP) Report.

This year's report strongly recommends the South Korean
government to enact comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that
defines and prohibits trafficking in persons and develop and
implement formal victim identification procedures.

"Due to lack of legislation and government involvement, many
organizations trying to protect victims of trafficking in Korea
have limited ability to provide proper assistance. The workshop
will help to establish a systematic approach to victims' assistance
and to expand our services, currently limited to legal counselling,
to cover psychosocial assistance, which is needed most," says
Youngnim You, Director of My Sister's Home, a shelter for foreign
trafficking victims.

For more information please contact:

June Lee

IOM Seoul

Tel: + 82221830191

E-mail: "mailto:jlee@iom.int">jlee@iom.int