In response to growing concerns about human trafficking in Jordan, due to the arrival of large numbers of Syrian refugees in the country, IOM has conducted four capacity building workshops for Jordanian officials. 

The workshops took place over two months (February and March) in the province of Mafraq, near the Jordanian border with Syria and home of the largest Syrian refugee camp, Za’atari. 

Participants included Jordanian officials from the Ministries of Interior, Labour, Justice, Social Development, Education, Health, and Agriculture, as well as from the Public Security Department. 

National and international experts participated as trainers, offering different perspectives in order to address an increasingly urgent, multi-faceted issue affecting Syrians and host communities in Jordan. 

Key sessions defined human trafficking in its various forms. They tackled the role of the government in preventing trafficking, prosecuting traffickers and protecting victims. 

They also covered the role of IOM and other humanitarian actors in fighting human trafficking in emergencies, elaborating on necessary assistance and protection mechanisms for victims, and techniques to detect, investigate, and ascertain cases of suspected exploitation and forced labour. 

The workshops were one of the first events bringing together inter-ministerial actors to discuss how to combat human trafficking in crisis situations. 

The workshops were organized under the umbrella of IOM’s Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Raising Project and Direct Assistance for Syrians and Jordanians in Mafraq Governorate. 

This project is implemented in collaboration with the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) / Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Ministry of Labour. It is funded by the US Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development.