Honduras: the partnership with labour ministry continues

This news was written before the global COVID-19 pandemic affected our activities in Honduras. In accordance with directives issued by the Honduran government, we have suspended our actions until further notice.

Last March, members of IBCR’s Montreal team travelled to Honduras for a few days with the team from our satellite office. This mission took place within the framework of the project against trafficking and exploitation of persons, especially women and girls, funded by World Affairs Canada and implemented by the IBCR in the country since spring 2019, in partnership with the Honduran Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons (CICESCT). The purpose of this trip was to participate in the setting up of a development workshop in partnership with the Secretaria del Trabajo (Minister of Labour).

Some thirty people from the Secretariat of Labour, including the Deputy Minister, Dr. Orlvin, participated in the exchanges during this development workshop, demonstrating the commitment of the Secretariat of State to this essential project. For four days, the participants, accompanied by the Inter-institutional Commission against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons (CICESCT), worked to identify the key procedures and competencies of labor inspectors in their daily work, focusing the process on training and strengthening their skills.

This project aims to improve the response of the Honduran authorities to trafficking in persons, at the institutional and community levels, by including members of municipalities and civil society in identifying threats of trafficking and establishing early warning mechanisms.

Drawing on the CICESCT’s expertise in internal human trafficking mechanisms and its in-depth knowledge of the country’s so-called “immediate response” team, combined with the Office’s expertise in protecting vulnerable populations, the IBCR is positioning itself as a key player in building Honduran capacity in this fight.