Colombo – IOM and the Sri Lanka Police Department have created a UK-funded database to combat human trafficking.

The database, hosted at the Police Criminal Records Division, will house relevant statistical data on trafficking and will be used to update information on trafficking cases progressively, helping to track them and identify trends and individuals concerned.

"There is a considerable gap in data between identified and prosecuted cases of human trafficking. The aim of the database is to bridge that gap," says Anuradhi Navaratnam, who manages IOM Sri Lanka's Counter Trafficking Unit.

The database is designed to serve as a comprehensive, central data collection system, which will record human trafficking offences and help law enforcement officers to track and prosecute cases. Plans are also underway to link it with other government bodies dealing with trafficking, in order to bring together all the partners and stakeholders involved.

The project, funded by the British High Commission in Colombo, is an integral part of IOM Sri Lanka's Migration Management assistance portfolio, through which IOM supports national initiatives designed to strengthen the capacity of government and other stakeholders to manage migration more effectively.

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For more information please contact: Anuradhi Navaratnam, E-mail:  pnavaratnam@iom.int, Stacey Winston, E-mail: swinston@iom.int or Passanna Gunasekera, E-mail:  pgunasekera@iom.int