Officials policing the border and in charge of immigration inspections play a key role in the early identification of victims of trafficking. Therefore, they should be equipped with skills and techniques to identify possible victims of all types of exploitation. Training for law enforcement officials is thus fundamental to enhance a common understanding on the elements of trafficking crimes, the norms for victim identification, and several special considerations such as dealing with traumatized victims, culturally and linguistically diverse victims, as well as child victims.

Within this regard, IOM Mongolia organized a two-day “Training on the Identification, Protection and Provision of Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking” in Zamiin-Uud, Dornogovi province on the 31st of January and 1st of February 2023. This training was organized at a particularly strategic time in conjunction with the reopening of the border crossing with China. A total of 50 participants attended the training including 20 officers from the General Authority for Border Protection in Zamiin-Uud, 10 officers from the Mongolian Immigration Agency in Zamiin-Uud, 10 Customs Officers of Zamiin-Uud and 10 officials from the Police Agency of Dornogovi province.

All 50 officials from law enforcement agencies in Zamiin-Uud soum were provided with knowledge on the understanding of human trafficking and definitions, differences between human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, Mongolia’s legislative framework on human trafficking and trends, learned skills and techniques to identify possible victims of trafficking and refer them to appropriate services through practical exercises such as interview role plays, case study analysis etc.

The training was organized with support from the Government of the Netherlands under the “Strengthening Mongolia's Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Human Trafficking” project.