JES Projects
Combating Human Trafficking in Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia
Funded by the Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP) of Global Affairs
Canada (GAC), JES implemented the "Strengthening Institutional Capacity to Combat
Human Trafficking, with a Focus on Corruption, Money Laundering and
Transnational Organized Crime" project in Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia. A
foundational element of the project was to raise awareness of the impact of the
crime on vulnerable populations and gender-responsive and trauma-informed
approaches to investigations and criminal trials.
Our project also aimed to reduce impunity for perpetrators and transnational
criminal networks, and provide greater protection and justice for victims of human
trafficking—particularly women and girls.
To meet our goals, JES worked in close partnership with Panamanian justice and law enforcement agencies, including the Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (“Ministerio Publico” or MP) , the National Police, and the Forensic Science Institute, public defenders as well as several civil society organizations.
Our instructors incorporated proven methodologies for capacity building and embedding gender-responsive, human rights- and problem-based learning tools in our curriculum. This blended learning methodology includes in-person and online instruction to ensure that courses were adaptable and applicable to each country’s specific needs.
Finally, our lessons worked to address the lingering bias against women, girls, and LGBTQI+ populations held by many justice professionals in the region. Instructors worked within a culturally sensitive framework to sensitize participants on the vulnerability of these groups to human trafficking, the risks of revictimization, and the need for collaboration of victims in the successful prosecution of crime.
