Bamako - On 31 August 2017, under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT), IOM signed a grant agreement with an NGO called Environnement et Développement du Tiers Monde ( ENDA) to provide direct assistance services to migrants in vulnerable situations in Mali, including children. The grant will end on 31 August 2018.

Mail is a source and transit country for the Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) and Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and to some extent a destination for TIP and SOM. As a transit country, migrants arrive from Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. Major destinations for both Malians and transiting migrants are Europe, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Mali is also a transit country for TIP to West Africa for domestic servitude, forced begging, sexual exploitation and forced labour in agriculture. There is internal trafficking for similar purposes.

In this context, the grant will be a vital mechanism for assistance to victims of trafficking and those at risk. Through this one-year grant, ENDA will be able to implement, in close coordination with IOM, various activities, including providing direct assistance, training and raising awareness. Direct assistance includes, for instance, safe accommodation, medical and psychosocial support, legal assistance, re/integration support such as family tracing, skills development and micro-credit schemes, and options for a voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return to the country of origin or, in some cases, resettlement to a third country.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to assist to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including assisting victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please contact: Ms. Balkissa Ouologuem, Email : BKOUOLOGUEM@iom.int
https://www.iom.int/gloact
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/index.html
Twitter : @glo_act