2024-09-06 19:34:34
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the second phase of the MENTHOR program entitled “Basic Mentoring for Addressing the Crime of Human Trafficking in Honduras,” aimed at judges and prosecutors of the Judiciary, in conjunction with the Interinstitutional Commission Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking (CICESCT), the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Police and the Judiciary.
The launching took place at an event held at the facilities of the Judicial Branch of San Pedro Sula. With the purpose of strengthening the institutional capacities of officials and actors involved in the fight against the crime of Human Trafficking, 60 people involved from the departments of Cortés, Atlántida, Islas de la Bahía, El Paraíso and Colón will be encouraged and trained, so that they become new actors capable of preventing, investigating and prosecuting this crime.
“We know that trafficking affects millions of people around the world. We understand the seriousness of this phenomenon, that it has crossed borders and that it really violates human dignity and fundamental rights. We must recognize the work that Honduras has been doing not only to work with victims, but also to offer work to victims who have survived trafficking,” said the head of the UNODC Country Office, Mónica Mendoza.
CICESCT, as the State’s governing body responsible for combating human trafficking, joins the project with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview and guaranteeing a coordinated and effective response to this crime.
CICESCT Executive Secretary Sua Martínez urged the Judiciary to create specialized courts for the issue of Human Trafficking; and to give more attention to these cases, based on the rights of each of the victims and reparation for the damage.
Likewise, the presiding judge of the Judiciary, Rebeca Raquel Obando, stated that it is known that the majority of victims of Human Trafficking are children, who are the most vulnerable population. I also regret that our population is a victim of this crime.
I also congratulate CICESCT, headed by its executive secretary, Sua Martínez, for the work it does to benefit survivors of these crimes; and I reiterate its commitment to the prosecution of the crime of Human Trafficking.
At the end of this second phase, the group of international trainers will select participants who can act as mentors and disseminate this knowledge at national and international levels.