Baku - IOM Azerbaijan with USAID funding supports the Victim Assistance Centre (VAC) under the Social Services Agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population to reach out to communities, national authorities, healthcare workers, and civil society partners outside of Baku to facilitate the access of potential/victims of trafficking to available services. To this end, on 12 October 2021, VAC organized an info session titled “Ethical treatment of victims of human trafficking: a guide for health providers” at the Zagatala Central Hospital.

The info session, which was attended by 22 employees of the hospital, served to increase health providers’ knowledge on ethical treatment guides and rules towards victims of human trafficking as well as legal responsibility for violation of confidentiality.

Eldar Muradov, the legal adviser of the VAC, stressed the importance of raising public awareness about human trafficking, noting the important role of healthcare workers in this issue, as well as in the detection of victims of trafficking.

During the training, participants were also provided with general information on human trafficking, victims and potential victims of trafficking, elements of human trafficking, types of exploitation, signs of victims of human trafficking, as well as the National Action Plan to combat human trafficking and existing legislation. The training ended with answering questions from participants.

It should be noted that the same events were previously held for employees of Balakan, Shamakhi, and Ismayilli district hospitals.

Currently, IOM Azerbaijan provides technical and financial support to the civil society organizations operating shelters assisting potential and actual victims of trafficking, labor force, and gender-based violence (GBV), and supports the enhancement of multi-stakeholder coordination and institutional cooperation on tackling forms of human trafficking, forced labor, and GBV within “Counter - Trafficking in Persons Activity” project funded by USAID.