The First ECO Regional Workshop on Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking, organized jointly by the ECO Secretariat and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), was held on 9-11 March, 2008, Kish Island. It was the first regional event for specialized training on migration and refugee-related issues for officials and policy makers of ECO member states. The Workshop focused on international legal framework, migrant’s rights, strategies to prevent human trafficking, the protection of victims and the prosecution of traffickers.
In the inauguration ceremony, His Excellency Mr. Qaemi, Advisor to the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Mr. Khurshid Anwar, the ECO Secretary General, spoke on the scale of the illegal migration and human trafficking and the need to put an end to it. Mr. Qaemi thanked the ECO Secretariat and the IOM for jointly organizing the Workshop and called for closer cooperation among the Member States to deal effectively with illegal migration and human trafficking.
The ECO Secretary General appreciated the support of the IOM and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the workshop which, he said, would go a long way toward creating awareness of and addressing positively the problem of human trafficking in the region. He mentioned different forms of human trafficking and observed that national governments as well as regional and international organizations should more seriously focus on containing this menace. There was need for more substantive institutionalized cooperation between the ECO and IOM. The Secretary General proposed signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organizations.
Mr. Hasan Abdul Moneim Mostafa, Regional Representative of IOM in Middle East and West Asia and Mr. Michael Fitzgerald, the First Secretary of the Australian Embassy in Tehran, respectively conveyed messages of Mr. Brunson McKinley, Director General of IOM and the Australian Ambassador in Iran.
Mr. McKinley expressed the hope that the Workshop would contribute to forming an effective coalition of organizations and government agencies to fight against trafficking in persons. The Ambassador of Australia conveyed his government's support for the workshop and for efforts to eliminate human smuggling. He called the menace dangerous and inhuman which caused the death of many a victim, denial of human rights, slavery and massive financial losses.
In the Workshop, the following presentations were made by:
1- Mr. Richard Danziger on Human Trafficking (Conceptual, Definitions & International Legal Frameworks) and Prevention, Strategies and Tactics at Point of Destination.
2- Mr. Mahmoud Naderi on Human Trafficking (Protection, Screening, Interviews and Identification of Victims)
3- Mr. Barikani, on Iran Responses to Irregular Migration, Human Trafficking (Policy and Methods)
4- Mr. Hassan Abdelmoneim Mostafa on Human Trafficking (IOM Response Focusing on Central Asia)
In addition to the above presentations, four Working Groups were established which received cases relating to illegal migration and human trafficking from the practical stand-point.
Delegations from ECO member states briefed the workshop on the illegal migration and human trafficking problems as seen their countries. They covered, in their analysis the root causes of the human trafficking, the destination countries and the forms of exploitation practiced in those countries.
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