30-05-2023 | di COOPI

Venezuela. ECHO visits COOPI project to learn about the context of human trafficking in the country

On May 16 and 17, 2023, in the cities of Güiria and Cumaná, in the State of Sucre in Venezuela, the activities of the Technical Roundtable on Trafficking in Human Beings took place with the presence of representatives from the European Union's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) on the project of COOPI-International Cooperation, the consortium of NGOs and local partners "CONHAVE" entitled "Multisectoral Humanitarian Assistance to Respond to the Urgent Needs of the Most Vulnerable People in Venezuela." The Technical Table on Human Trafficking is an inter-institutional and inter-agency coordination space, whose goal is to provide a united response to victims of human trafficking by different Venezuelan actors.

On this occasion, ECHO delegates were able to learn about and observe at first hand what is the context of human trafficking in one of the most complex areas of the country in terms of trafficking, due to the dynamics of migration and organized crime present, from the authorities and organizations operating in the mentioned cities.

Representatives from Venezuelan institutions, such as the Public Prosecutor's Office (based in Güiria), the Municipal Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (CMDNNA), the Administrative System of Identification, Migration and Aliens (SAIME), and the Mayor's Office of the Municipality of Valdez in the State of Sucre participated in the activities. In addition to them, Caritas Güiria, the International Organization for Migration-IOM, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and the feminist organization Tinta Violeta also took part.

The fourth working group on human trafficking was held in Cumaná, during which the proposed service pathway for responding to victims of trafficking, an initiative that COOPI has been promoting and leading since August 2022, was presented to participants. Several United Nations organizations and agencies participated in these activities, including UNFPA, IOM, DRC, Mapani, Tinta Violeta, Salma de Venezuela, CEDISUC, Plafam, Caritas, Cesvi, and the civil association Servicios y Proyectos Acuario.

COOPI is present in Venezuela with the above-mentioned project whose objective is to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the vulnerable population affected by the complex Venezuelan crisis. It has, in fact, succeeded in improving access to comprehensive protective services, including health care and sexual and reproductive health services, and has contributed to a marked improvement in access to safe drinking water and safe and nutritious food consumption, as well as increasing capacity to respond to rapid-onset emergencies through access to a crisis modifier.