ALTP – Project to support the fight against human trafficking in Gulf of Guinea countries (TEH)

• Continue the significant progress seen in the past few years at the political and institutional levels, including the ratification of relevant international legal instruments, the preparation of binding national normative frameworks and specific strategies and action plans, the establishment of national and subregional coordination and cooperation frameworks, and the adoption of measures to protect and assist victims.
• Support civil society organisations in their actions for victims (prevention, protection, reintegration / rehabilitation).
• Address the considerable structural challenges, the substantial needs in terms of available and suitable material and human resources, the requirement for good coordination between institutions and civil society, the necessity to meet all the needs (social and legal in particular) of victims, the need to strengthen prevention and the dissemination of specialised information, etc.
• Continue efforts to build the capacities of the relevant actors in combating trafficking.

1. Institutional and operational consolidation and preventive actions

Objective: increase the legitimacy, leadership and operational capacities of interministerial bodies for the fight against human trafficking (and their territorial bodies) through structural and organisational support and the implementation of targeted preventive actions  

Examples of the planned actions:

• Operational and technical support to the national institutions responsible for the fight against trafficking;
• Support for national multisectoral communication and community mobilisation campaigns, working in particular with diaspora organisations;
• Development of pools of national experts;
• Creation / consolidation of toll-free hotlines to report and assist victims;
• Strengthening of data collection systems, etc.

2. Law enforcement

Objective: build the capacities of actors of the penal chain for the fight against human trafficking

Examples of the planned actions:

• Diagnostics on the functioning of the penal chain in terms of the fight against trafficking at national level;
• Creation / strengthening of functional and permanent offices for the fight against trafficking in Ministries of Justice;
• Setting up / strengthening of institutionalised initial and continuing training programmes, including modules on the protection of victims who are minors and the conducting of financial investigations concerning the fight against trafficking;
• Material and technical strengthening of specialised police units and immigration services, etc.

3. Protection of victims

Objective: strengthen, qualitatively and quantitatively, the specialised services and common law services available to victims of trafficking.

Examples of the planned actions:

• Support for the implementation / strengthening of national mechanisms for the compensation of victims;
• Support for integrated national systems to refer victims to effective and appropriate assistance services;
• Strengthening of certain governmental / non-governmental rehabilitation centres for victims of trafficking;
• Development of grant programmes for NGOs with relevant projects for the reintegration of victims of trafficking and prevention, etc.

4. Regional cooperation  

Objective: boost cross-border cooperation and implement cooperation measures in accordance with the existing bilateral and regional agreements, in partnership with ECOWAS.

Examples of the planned actions:

• Operationalisation of cooperation protocols for information sharing under existing bilateral agreements;
• Strengthening of regional networks of professional actors from civil society, etc.

The ALTP project takes up the methodology and thematic areas of a previous French cooperation project (Priority Solidarity Fund to support the fight against human trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea) conducted in the region between 2013 and 2017 (Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo). It aims to ensure the sustainability of the achievements of the initial phase and develop new targeted actions that have impacts.

Based on the institutional dialogue initiated back in 2016 with the authorities of the targeted countries, the project promotes:

• A holistic approach, combining the prevention, suppression, victim support and coordination components;  
• An inclusive approach, involving all the key institutional actors and civil society and promoting an ongoing dialogue and an effective coordination of actions;  
• The integration and consultation, as far as possible, of beneficiary communities;
• A multi-country approach addressing specific national issues;
• The integration of a regional dimension by operationalising bilateral and regional cooperation mechanisms, via forums and feedback from experience, and through a strengthened partnership with ECOWAS, in close coordination with existing initiatives.

Planning workshops to ensure project ownership

Workshops were organised in November 2019 to plan the activities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana with the authorities concerned and the relevant civil society actors. These workshops will be replicated in Guinea in December and Togo, Benin and Nigeria in early 2020. The objective is to adapt the activities to the context as much as possible and come up with an inclusive project work plan for 2019-2023.