‘The Evolution of Counter-Trafficking in Burundi: A Promising Shift Supported by IOM’
Geneva – Reach every victim of trafficking. This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (WDATIP) theme resonates with the inclusive approach of the Counter-Trafficking National Action Plan of the Government of the Republic of Burundi, just launched in Bujumbura. The five-year plan, developed with the support of IOM Burundi, precisely aims to reach every victim of trafficking (VoT) through strengthened identification, tailored assistance, and protection, as well as community awareness raising, all over the country.
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is a transnational crime and a grave human rights violation of enormous scale, prevalent in peaceful regions as well as in conflict and disaster areas. Burundi is not spared; it is a country of origin, transit, and in some cases, destination for VoTs. Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable, luring them with promises of a better future. In Burundi, vulnerabilities are exacerbated by the recurrent climate emergencies affecting the country, especially sudden-onset disasters like floods and landslides that drive displacement, poverty, and lack of work opportunities, particularly in the poorest and most rural provinces. There is ongoing recognition of the intersections amongst displacement, climate change, and the heightened risk of trafficking – especially for women and children – as highlighted by the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons and the US Department of State in its analysis of Burundi in the 2023 TIP report.
Since 2010, IOM has worked to strengthen the government’s capacity to better respond to and govern numerous migration challenges, including trafficking in persons, in line with the tenth objective of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. IOM Burundi simultaneously provides direct assistance to VoTs in Burundi through protection services, reintegration efforts and prevention measures at the community level.
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