The United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announces the successful completion of the first certificate program in migration law and policy in Sri Lanka by 69 professionals who now have the tools and knowledge to take the fight against human trafficking back to their communities.
The six-month course was a joint effort between USAID’s “Empowering Civil Society to Combat Human Trafficking” project (ECCT) and the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL). The SAFE Foundation implements ECCT. This course on migration and law marked the first ever collaboration between a civil society organization and a leading Sri Lankan university to provide a structured academic course.
The students, who included government officials, journalists, youth, volunteers, and members of civil society, studied migration laws and policies at the national level via the online course. Fifty of the students took the course in Sinhala and the remaining studied in Tamil. The students received their certificates on December 20 in a ceremony at the OUSL Department of Legal Studies in Nawala
“Human trafficking is a global problem but the fight against it starts locally, in every community,” said USAID Sri Lanka and Maldives Mission Director Gabriel Grau. “The United States is proud to partner with Sri Lankan institutions and local professionals on migration law and policy so they can work in their communities to encourage safe migration and stop human trafficking.”
The course covered topics that included migration and state responsibility in the context of international migration; the international legal framework to address human trafficking and smuggling; prevention of irregular migration practices; and the rights of victims, returnees, and reintegration. In addition to bringing the battle against trafficking to their communities, certification will increase the graduates’ confidence, enabling them to engage with government officials, private sector officials, and communities at divisional, district and national levels.
The U.S. State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) recognized progress in Sri Lanka toward fighting TIP, keeping the country at its Tier 2 status. But the report also urged the government of Sri Lanka to strengthen its efforts in prosecuting and investigating TIP crimes, and identifying TIP victims among migrant workers, among other actions.
