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IOM Peru Supports Global Fight against Organized Crime, Including Human Trafficking

IOM Peru Chief of Mission José Iván Dávalos delivers his speech at the Attorneys and General Prosecutors Convention in Peru. Photo: Ines Calderón / UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017

El jefe de misión de OIM Perú, José Iván Dávalos, pronuncia su discurso en la Convención de  Fiscales y Procuradores Generales en Lima, Perú. Foto: Ines Calderón / Foto: OIM

The panel of experts at the opening ceremony of the Attorneys and General Prosecutors Convention in Peru. Photo: Ines Calderón / UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017

The panel of experts at the opening ceremony of the Attorneys and General Prosecutors Convention in Peru. Photo: Ines Calderón / UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017

Lima – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is participating in the Attorneys and General Prosecutors Convention in Lima, Peru. The event gathers General Prosecutors and Attorneys from more than 20 American, European and Asian countries, as well as experts in organized crime.

The convention, which runs from 2-4 October, is organized by the Office of the Attorney General of Peru from the Public Ministry, and aims to promote more effectiveness in the prevention and criminal persecution against organized crime and corruption through international judicial cooperation.

The event, called Building Effective Mechanisms for the Fight Against Organized Crime and Corruption, gathered representatives of the Attorney General Offices in workshops focusing on four main topics: corruption of public officers, money laundering, organized crime, and assets recovery.

In the session related to organized crime, participants will discuss the persecution and sanction of the human trafficking and exploitation crimes, in accordance to international experiences.

“Crimes like human trafficking and organized crime know no boundaries, and events such as this one are essential to effectively combat organized crime,” said José Iván Dávalos, IOM Peru Chief of Mission at the opening ceremony.

“A good human trafficking investigation depends on the coordination between prosecutors, from one country to another,” said Agueda Marin, IOM Senior Regional Specialist in Migrants’ Assistance during the thematic session of persecution and sanction of the human trafficking and exploitation crimes.

She also pointed out that events like this one are key to identify challenges and solutions for this coordination.

IOM Peru has supported the efforts of the Public Ministry for over a decade, with the creation of an information register system for human trafficking cases, the development of training materials for prosecutors and police officers, and logistic and technical assistance support during knowledge-sharing events for justice operators.

Globally, it is estimated that human trafficking generates revenue of over USD 32 billion annually, yet the sentences for this crime are still low. In Peru, most identified victims are young women from the most vulnerable regions of the country, exploited for illegal mining purposes.

For more information, please contact Inés Calderón at IOM Peru, Tel: +51 1 633 0000, Email: icalderon@iom.int