Organizing a Workshop to update the “Alliance 8.7” Roadmap on Integrating the Dimensions of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

The National Authority to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, in cooperation with the International Labour Office (ILO) and Free the Slave, organized on Wednesday in Nouakchott a national workshop to update the roadmap of Alliance 8.7 on the topic of integrating the dimensions of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and strengthening coordination around the objectives of the Alliance.

Alliance 8.7 aims to promote productive employment and decent work with immediate measures to eliminate forced labour, end various contemporary forms of slavery, human trafficking, and eliminate the worst forms of child labour.

The alliance provides a platform for partners to exchange information, experiences and lessons learned in order to see progress in these areas.

The Director of the National Authority to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants, Cheikh Tourad Ould Abdel Malik, explained that Mauritania, under the directives of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, has taken important measures to eradicate all forms of trafficking in persons.

He added that these measures include the ratification of Law 017–2020 on the prevention and punishment of trafficking in persons, the protection of victims, the establishment of the National Authority to Combat Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, the establishment and activation of the Fund to Support and Assist Victims of Trafficking in Persons, the establishment of the Central Office for the Suppression of Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons at the General Directorate of National Security, and the establishment of a court specialized in cases of slavery, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, the first of its kind in the subregion.

He recalled that Mauritania has pledged as a leading country to be at the forefront of the struggle to achieve the goal of “Alliance 8.7” of the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that this alliance is a global partner that takes immediate and effective action to end forced labor, modern slavery, child labour, and the protection of human rights.

In a speech earlier, the Regional Director of Free the Slave in West Africa, Mr. Issa Saka, reviewed the objectives of Alliance 8.7 and the roles it plays to protect human rights, reviewing the contributions made by his organization in this regard.