On December 17 and 18, 2019, IOM Burundi and IOM Tunisia facilitated an exchange visit of the Inter-ministerial Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons from the Republic of Burundi to Tunisia, to meet the representatives of the Tunisian National Commission Against Trafficking in Persons.

Burundi and Tunisia share a common interest in the fight against trafficking in persons, and a motivation to explore partnership with countries of destination. IOM offices in Burundi and Tunisia endeavor to support national authorities in developing their response to trafficking in persons, and to ensure the safe return of trafficking victims to their countries of origin.

The visit allowed the two countries to exchange experiences on their counter-trafficking efforts, including national referral mechanisms for protection and assistance. They also discussed on partnerships, awareness campaigns and ways of compiling statistics on victims identified and assisted, the latter being a key priority for both countries. The meetings and visits also highlighted the need for a structured way to exchange experiences on combating trafficking – in all its forms – among African governments.

It is estimated that more than a thousand Burundian victims of trafficking have been identified and  assisted in recent years, out of which approximately 700 were identified by IOM and its implementing partners. Burundian victims of cross-border trafficking have primarily been identified in the Middle East and in East Africa, but more recently, thanks to growing awareness on the crime, also victims of internal trafficking are being identified and assisted. The Burundian Government has drawn up its National Action Plan to combat trafficking in persons for 2019-2020, with technical support of IOM.

The visit was inspired by the progress made by Tunisia in the fight against trafficking in persons and protecting victims of the crime since the adoption of a national counter-trafficking law in 2016. Tunisia is in the final stages of setting up its national referral mechanism to provide a framework for coordination, identification and referral of victims of trafficking to protection services.

Mme. Raoudha Laabidi, President of the National Commission Against Trafficking in Persons, thanked IOM for facilitating the visit, and expressed readiness to support the nascent Burundian committee to shape up its efforts, including through sharing what Tunisia has learned in recent years. “Together we can and must move forward”, she concluded at the closing of the visit.

Olivier Nkundimfura, Coordinator of the Burundi Committee expressed his gratitude stating “We found this exchange very useful. The government of Burundi is committed to fight against trafficking. Having seen the progress made by Tunisia, we are inspired to take action following this visit” .

“IOM is very excited that due to its long-standing work in the field of counter-trafficking and its regional and global footprint, , it can facilitate the organization of inter-governmental exchanges on the fight against human trafficking. As human trafficking is present everywhere, exchanging experiences and discussing good practices from other countries is useful to inspire governments committed to this work”, stated Irina Todorova, IOM Senior Regional Thematic Specialist for Migrant Protection and Assistance for Middle East and North Africa.

For further information: Please contact Eliza Galos, Protection and Assistance Programme Manager at IOM Burundi, at egalos@iom.int, or Imen Naija, National Officer, Counter-Trafficking, at IOM Tunisia inaija@iom.int.