The Minister of Justice in the caretaker government, Henry Khoury, along with the Regional Coordinator for Neighborhood Policy with the Southern Mediterranean and the Executive Director of the North-South Center of the Council of Europe, Pilar Morales, launched the reference guide for identifying victims of human trafficking in Lebanon during a meeting held in Tunisia. This guide is considered the first of its kind within the framework of the joint initiative between the European Union and the Council of Europe, "The Fifth South Program." The launch was attended by the representative of the Tunisian Minister of Justice, the Chief of Staff of the Tunisian Ministry of Justice, Kamaleddine Ben Hassan, and official delegations from Morocco, Portugal, and Malta.
The guide serves as a reference document and a working tool that helps unify the perspectives among all stakeholders regarding the identification of human trafficking situations. Its main aim is to empower professionals affiliated with governmental and non-governmental bodies and civil society activists to detect human trafficking crimes and identify potential victims, which assists in initiating a process of recognizing them as victims and providing them help and protection in accordance with relevant national and international legal texts.
This practical guide includes two lists of general and specific indicators related to monitoring crimes and identifying victims of human trafficking in Lebanon, a guideline document on interviewing victims of human trafficking, a list of questions used during these interviews, and a guide on protecting the personal data of victims of human trafficking crimes. Furthermore, the use of this guide contributes to a proper and appropriate process for handling victims and directing them according to a victim identification mechanism based on a human rights-based approach.
It is noteworthy that Tunisia has been a pioneer in the field of combating human trafficking at the regional level, having launched the national mechanism for referring victims of human trafficking in 2021, after which many countries in the region worked on establishing and implementing their national mechanisms.
The Fifth South Program, "Protection of Human Rights and the Rule of Law and Democracy through Common Standards in the Southern Mediterranean," is a joint initiative between the European Union and the Council of Europe during the period from 2022 to 2025, aimed at continuing support for democratic reforms in the Southern Mediterranean by creating a common legal space between Europe and this region.
