Colombo – IOM and the Sri Lankan government have launched a USD 500,000, US-funded programme to help law enforcement officials to identify cases of human trafficking and successfully prosecute those responsible.

The programme, co-funded by the US Department of State and US Agency for International Development (USAID), will train 500 law enforcement and government officials in improved data collection and dissemination methods, and enhance coordination between government agencies and NGOs.

"Before Sri Lanka can make significant progress in identifying those responsible and hold them accountable for trafficking practices, it must have a clearer understanding of how and where these practices are taking place," said US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake.

"A better trained network of law enforcement professionals can establish legal grounds under which instigators of trafficking can be identified and prosecuted under the law.  This programme promises to help in that effort," he noted.

"There is a real need for all stakeholders, government authorities and organizations working on this issue to come together and share information in order to combat human trafficking more effectively," said IOM Sri Lanka Chief of Mission Mohamed Abdiker.

"This programme will assist us in filling the gaps in knowledge to help us more vigorously identify and prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking." said A.R. Waidyalankara, Director of Sri Lanka's Bureau for Protection of Women and Children.

The programme will also help the government to develop a national policy to combat trafficking; support the training of 50 trainers to raise awareness in the law enforcement community; and create a database to help track cases of trafficking.

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For more information, please contact: Passanna Gunasekera, IOM Sri Lanka, Tel: +94 5333 432. Ext. 213, E-mail: pgunasekera@iomsrilanka.org