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Projects

Developing a Manual on Child Trafficking for Legal Aid Lawyers in Peru

Training of public defenders – April 2012

Continuing the Bureau’s commitment to end child trafficking around the world.

Project Duration : 2010 - 2015

Peru is especially vulnerable to human trafficking and, in particular, child trafficking for sexual purposes. Between 2004 and 2010, 726 cases were reported, of which 467 involved children. The victims, most often from impoverished areas, are exploited in Peru or sent to other countries, including Ecuador, Spain, Italy, the United States and Canada. We then lose track of them.

To eradicate this problem, Peru introduced legislation in 2007 forbidding all forms of trafficking throughout the country. However, the new legislation was not always well understood by representatives of the judicial system and victims still hesitated to report crimes committed against them. It was thus necessary for justice professionals, and for the population in general, to receive training in this respect.

Between October 2010 and March 2011, the IBCR partnered with the Peruvian organisation Capital Humano y Social Alternativo (CHS Alternativo) to develop a specially-designed workbook for the fight against human trafficking to be used by public defenders and legal aid lawyers. Together, the Bureau and CHS Alternativo also developed a wide-reaching media campaign aimed at informing the Peruvian population about the dangers of human trafficking and the resources available to them to ensure their rights are heard.

Goals :

With financial support from Global Affairs Canada, the IBCR has set a goal to fight against human trafficking, particularly child trafficking, by giving victims the means to defend themselves in court.

To meet this goal, the IBCR first developed a reference manual for public defenders, which presented national and international legal instruments for the fight against human trafficking (lien vers le Manual para defensores públicos). This teaching tool, written in Spanish, includes a section dedicated to identifying human trafficking victims and how to interact with them. The manual was updated in 2015, at the request of many public defenders.

The second phase of the project aimed at offering training sessions based on the manual. In total, 114 public defenders participated in training sessions that focused on helping human trafficking victims. They can now offer them all the legal aid they need.

Finally, the program aimed at developing an awareness campaign to inform the population of their rights to free legal aid. The campaign, which specifically targeted children from impoverished areas, consisted of radio spots and of brochures and leaflets that were distributed in Lima’s disadvantaged areas and then throughout the country.

  • Intervention locations : Peru (Lima and surrounding areas)
  • Project duration: 2010-2015
  • Partners :
    • CHS Alternativo, Global Affairs Canada, the Peruvian Department of Justice and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
  • Highlights:
    • Publishing of a 109-page manual for lawyers for the provision of legal aid to human trafficking victims – Updated in 2015
    • A total of 114 public defenders were trained to provide assistance to victims of trafficking (particularly children)
  • Fields of activity and expertise :
    • Capacity building
    • Advocacy and institutional support
    • Tools, reference manuals and standards
    • Training leadership
    • Child sexual exploitation
    • Children and the justice system

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