MWFCD-MAPO-GSB Online National Conference:

“Best Practices on Protection and Assistance for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) “

Global Shepherds, a company established in Malaysia by the Province of Singapore-Malaysia made further inroads into its relationship with the government of Malaysia when the organisation was invited by the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development (MWFCD) to co-organise a conference related to the care and protection of trafficked victims.

The two-day conference on 25^th and 26^th November 2021 was entitled “Best Practices on Protection and Assistance for Victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP)”.  This was Malaysia’s first Virtual National Conference held in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development (MWFCD) and the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO)

The dates were chosen for its significance as the Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16-day Orange The World campaign.  It was also used to launch the Ministry’s training manual on TIP care and protection.

Global Shepherds played a crucial part in developing the training manual, together with International Justice Mission (IJM) Malaysia and MWFCD.  The manual is expected to be used in all government and NGO shelters for trafficked victims across the country.

The manual covers a wide spectrum of topics related to the protection of TIP victims, including using a Victim-Centred approach and Trauma-Informed Care as well as a module specific to the care of child TIP victims.

The conference also provided a platform for service providers and relevant stakeholders in the area of Protection from various countries to share their experiences and approaches in providing care and protection services to TIP victims; and was broadly based on the modules of the Training Manual.

This collaboration showcased the collective efforts of government and its NGO partners in working together towards the improvement of care and support services for the best interest of the victims.

At the same time, it hopes to establish and strengthen networks between government and civil society partners, locally and internationally in the area of Protection.

Speakers from various UN related agencies, government agencies and civil societies from Australia, the Philippines and Thailand were also invited to share their National Referral Mechanisms for TIP victims, as well as their good practices on care and protection.  There was a total of 183 participants who logged in, half of which were from the government ministries and agencies.  The sessions were insightful and fruitful and it is hoped that ties between all agencies can be further strengthened, both internationally and locally.

The event was supported by:

UN Women Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region programme, part of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, and International Justice Mission (IJM) Malaysia and the Good Shepherd Sisters, Malaysia

Written by

Michele Rozells

Monitoring & Evaluation-cum-Communications Officer

Global Shepherds Berhad

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia