This course can be taken as stand-alone, or as part of the Diploma in Human Rights and Forced Displacement.
Course Description
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is a global human rights violation that constitutes a contemporary form of slavery. It has acquired alarming proportions generating profits of billions of dollars annually, an organized trade in which women and girls are particularly vulnerable. This course is designed to introduce participants to the different manifestations of trafficking, and to examine the broad spectrum of issues related to trafficking from an international and regional legal framework perspective. The course is oriented towards a human rights based approach to TIP and the recognition of the trafficked person as a ‘victim of crime’. Special emphasis will be given to developing an understanding of the measures taken to protect human rights of the trafficked persons.
While the course primarily focuses on commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking for forced prostitution, trafficking for other purposes will also be fully addressed. Such practices include forced labour, the exploitation of immigrant females for domestic services, removal and sale of human organs, the sale of children for irregular inter-country adoption, and the sale of wives legalized by national / transnational marriages.
The course will lay special emphasis on all aspects of Prevention of TIP, Protection of trafficking victims and Prosecution of offenders. Critical challenges and appropriate responses to issues ranging from Rescue of the trafficked victims to comprehensive Integration into their families / society would also be examined.
The course will also look closely at diverse contemporary debates surrounding complexity of human trafficking, especially sex – work and trafficking in women; legalizing prostitution as a means of protecting women against trafficking; migration within and across national borders and trafficking in women; the relationship between supply and demand in diverse forms of trafficking and the impact of economic boycotts and sanctions in addressing trafficking in the supply chain.
The course will finally examine the roles of government, law enforcement, the international community, civil society and individual actors in addressing the problem and will conclude with strategies and ‘good practices’ that have proven effective in different parts of the world. Strong emphasis will be placed throughout the course not only on theory and legal frameworks, but also on case studies resourced globally.
Course Outline
Week 1: Introduction to Trafficking in Persons: Clarifying Concepts, Dimensions and Different Forms of Human Trafficking
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as – meaning of TIP; meaning of different terminologies (e.g. ‘victim’ vis-à-vis ‘survivor’); conceptual difference between TIP and Smuggling of Migrants; clarifying difference between TIP and prostitution; myths and realities surrounding prostitution; different types of TIP; magnitude and incidence; root causes of human trafficking; push and pull factors; supply and demand theories; organized crime networks and its impact on TIP; etc.
Week 2: International and Regional Anti – Trafficking Legal Frameworks
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as – all International (UN + ILO) Protocols / Treaties / Conventions pertaining to Human Trafficking and Trafficking in Children; UN Model Law on TIP; Regional Frameworks from Europe, South Asia, South East Asia, Africa, etc.
Week 3: The 3 P’s Approach to Combat Trafficking in Persons: Prevention, Protection and Prosecution
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as – UN Trafficking Protocol and the 3 P’s approach to deal with TIP; details of the 3 P’s; rights of victims of trafficking; successful case studies on all the 3 P’s as ‘good practices’.
Week 4: ‘Rescue – Rehabilitation – Repatriation – Integration’ of Trafficked Victims: Critical Challenges and Responses
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as – in depth discussion of all strategies from rescue of victim to integration into family / society (RRRI – acronym used by UNICEF); challenges at each of the 4 stages for law enforcement, government and other stakeholders and the appropriate responses; successful case studies globally as ‘good practices’.
Week 5: Trafficking in Persons: Debates and Critiques
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as sex – work and trafficking in women; legalizing prostitution as a means of protecting women against trafficking; migration within and across national borders and trafficking in women; the relationship between supply and demand in diverse forms of trafficking and the impact of economic boycotts and sanctions in addressing trafficking in the supply chain).
Week 6: Multi Disciplinary Response to Trafficking in Persons: Role of Government, Law Enforcement, Non – Governmental Organizations, International Community and Others
This week will contain study of topics (inter alia) such as – role / duties/ responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders in a multi – disciplinary and multi – stakeholder approach to combat TIP; why fragmented approaches do not succeed and why is an integrated response to combat human trafficking required.
Who Should Apply
The course is intended for criminal justice practitioners, staff members of civil society organizations and (inter)governmental organizations involved in combating trafficking in persons, staff members of (international) development agencies, academics and others interested in the human rights of trafficked victims. Candidates should have a good written command of English and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use.
About the Instructor
Dr. Geeta Sekhon (India) is presently a consultant for the United Nations, working predominantly in training and policy design/implementation. She is a legal professional specializing in Rights of Children. Her thesis on – ‘Child Sexual Abuse: A Comparative Study of the Law and Legal Procedures in India and Western Countries’ earned her a Doctorate in Law from the University of Delhi, India. She also has a Post Graduate Degree in Law (LL. M) in Constitutional Law and Human Rights. She commenced her professional career in 1992 in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch of the Indian Navy and subsequently joined academics and taught graduate and post-graduate students of law. She was a visiting faculty in several countries in South Asia. Since 2007 she has been associated with the UN and has performed multifarious tasks as a Project Coordinator and as a Consultant with extensive professional experience in the South Asia and South East Asia region on issues related to Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons. She has authored multiple documents on the two subjects.
Course Fee
For Certificate: Fee for taking this course is USD 600. UPEACE students and almuni enrolling for the Certificate course are entitled to 30% discount on the fee.
For Auditing: It is also possible to audit the course, in which case, participants will not receive a certificate. Auditors, however, will have access to all course material, be able to participate in the synchronous webinar sessions, and be able to monitor the online discussions of participants. The fee for auditing the course is USD 200.
For Certificate and 2 Academic Credits: Participants are also able to take the course for two academic credits offered by UPEACE. The cost of taking the course for 2 academic credits is USD 1100.
Application Procedure
To apply, please fill up the enrolment form. Applicants will be contacted within three working days of the application. The diploma is limited to 25 participants.
Payment
Payments may be made either by credit card or by wire transfer. Payment by wire transfer usually takes three to four business days to be deposited in our account. Payment by credit card is instant.
If you wish to make the payment by credit card, please go to https://payments.upeace.org/hrc/
Payments by wire transfer must be made to the following bank account:
Universidad para la Paz
Banco Nacional de Costa Rica
Bank account number:100-02-099-600195-4
Swift Code: BNCRCRSJ and IBAN: CR57015109910026001958
Avenidas 1 y 3, Calle 4
San José, Costa Rica