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U.S. Will Train Caribbean Nations to Battle, Stop Human Trafficking

Imag via Calvin College

With January recognized as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says its Homeland Security Investigations will be conducting anti-human trafficking training to countries, including the Caribbean, throughout 2017 and beyond.

ICE said HSI has a record-high 22 international and 32 domestic training events planned for 2017.

“Modern-day slavery still exists,” said HSI Acting Section Chief Carlos Ortiz. “It is ‘hidden’ in plain sight.”

ICE said HSI is working with the U.S. Department of State’s existing international law officer training programs, known as International Law Enforcement Academies, “to take their human trafficking training module around the globe.

“Recognized as leaders on the topic, HSI personnel are the preferred source of instructors for the Department of State for these events,” Ortiz said. He said training is offered to foreign law enforcement officers, prosecutors and victim service providers in collaboration with HSI attaché offices.

An ICE statement said training covers topics such as HSI efforts to combat human trafficking using a victim-centric strategy, including investigative techniques, bilateral investigations, indicators of human trafficking, victim identification and victim assistance with a focus on building the capacity to conduct human trafficking investigations with host country legal authorities.

“The women and men of HSI who know the victims of human trafficking understand there is no mystery to the crime,” the statement said. “It is a crime of greed and for profit. Victims are emotionally manipulated.”

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