Projects

Empowering agents of change against trafficking and exploitation of persons, especially women and girls

Duration of the project : 2019-2022 (3 years)

Despite efforts by the government of Honduras to improve its human rights record, the country still faces widespread violence linked to organised crime and drug trafficking, and has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Funded by the Government of Canada through its Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (PARCLC), this three-year project aims to improve the response of Honduran authorities to human trafficking at the institutional and community levels. In particular, it aims to strengthen the current system of response to human trafficking and exploitation, led by the Inter-institutional Commission Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons (CICESCT), and its members (such as the Ministry of Labour, the Prosecutor's Office, the Judiciary or the Police Force) both nationally and locally.

At the community level, a participatory approach will strengthen the knowledge and capacity of members of municipalities and civil society to identify trafficking threats and establish early warning mechanisms. Vulnerable populations, children and youth, women, indigenous and Afro-descendent peoples and LGBTQI+ people will also be very active throughout the project.

Objectives

• To increase the capacity and influence of Honduran civil society to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, especially women and girls, with a focus on gender issues.

• Intensify collaboration and coordination among key institutional actors in the country.

• To strengthen the skills and practical abilities of officials of Honduran institutional actors (Police, Justice, Ministry of Labour and CICESCT) in the prosecution, protection and prevention of the crimes of trafficking and exploitation of persons.

Strategic actions

• To improve in a sustainable and participatory manner the work of officials responsible for the identification of victims of trafficking, as well as the prevention, protection and prosecution of perpetrators of criminal offences, by including updated courses in the curricula of training schools.

• To empower civil society actors to participate actively in efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in persons in Honduras. In particular for the communities most affected by related crimes (women and girls, people of African descent, indigenous peoples, LGBTI people, children and adolescents).

• Capitalise on the experiences of different actors through regional exchanges and international events to generate new knowledge on human trafficking and the prevention of related crimes.