Windhoek — To prevent any form of human trafficking that may be associated with the soccer World Cup in South Africa, 45 government officials last week completed a five-day training workshop in Tsumeb, preparing them to deal with this crime. This week, another 45 officials from the south attended the same training in Keetmanshoop.

"The workshops are designed to ensure government officials have the skills and information to prevent and respond to human trafficking," said Unicef in a statement issued this week.

The training is attended by officials from the Ministries of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Safety and Security, Home Affairs and Immigration, and Finance.

"The government of Namibia with other neighboring countries are deeply concerned that children and women could be trafficked and subjected to sexual exploitation during the 2010 World Cup," stressed Sirkka Ausiku, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare.

"Our officials have already noted numbers of women and children who are crossing the border into South Africa, and we must do everything possible to ensure that none of them are being coerced or trafficked," she said.

These concerns and the need for immediate action has also been echoed by the Namibian police who emphasised the importance of staff having the knowledge and skills to deal with issues of trafficking.

Reinforcing the seriousness of the issue, the UNICEF representative to Namibia, Ian MacLeod, highlighted the devastating effects of trafficking. "Trafficking and sexual exploitation deprive children of their dignity and put their safety, health and education in peril.

"Caught in an underworld of illegality and violence, trafficked and sexually exploited children and women virtually disappear. Such abuse of children and women cannot be tolerated during the World Cup or any other time," said MacLeod.

A recent base-line study on human trafficking conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare in eight regions (Khomas, Ohan-gwena, Oshikoto, Caprivi, Kavango, Karas, Erongo and Omaheke) in June 2009, confirmed that two cases of human trafficking were identified by the research team.

Although Namibia has enacted the Prevention of Organised Crime Act No, 29 of 2004, this law is not comprehensive enough to address human trafficking as outlined by the Palermo Convention.

The workshops which are facilitated by technical experts from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), cover issues such as definition and characteristics of human trafficking; the current legal framework on trafficking in persons; investigative approaches in combating trafficking in persons; international approach to the fight against human trafficking; child trafficking; identification and interviewing of trafficked persons, victim assistance, referral and reintegration of victims of trafficking; and counter trafficking activities surrounding the World Cup.

The workshops are organised by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare with assistance from UNICEF through the MDG Fund supported by the government of Spain.