ILO supports the improvement of mental health care for victims of trafficking in Peru

Lima – With technical assistance from the ILO, the Ministry of Health (MINSA), the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP) and the National Comprehensive Program for Family Welfare (INABIF) have been improving the coordination of mental health care services for child and adolescent victims of trafficking, as a key element to achieve their family and social reintegration through a series of workshops that took place between July and September 2022.

These workshops brought together more than 200 professionals from the Trafficking in Persons Specialized Shelters (CARE), the Community Mental Health Centers (CSMC) and the Modules of Comprehensive Care for Children and Adolescents (MAMIS) in the regions of Lima, Cusco, Loreto, Madre de Dios and Puno, for the purpose of strengthening their capacities and establishing mechanisms for coordination and joint work in the framework of the implementation of the National Policy against Trafficking in Persons.

The workshops focused on the collaboration between these different services, applying the Technical Document Guidelines for the comprehensive mental health care of child and adolescent victims and survivors of trafficking, approved by MINSA in June 2021. These activities also covered the provision of specialized services to address the multiple aspects of the trauma experienced by child trafficking survivors, while preventing revictimization by service providers.

The series of workshops was developed as part of the activities of the project Partnerships in Action to End Child Trafficking in Peru, implemented within the framework of the Child Protection Compact Partnership (CPC), with funding from the U.S. Department of State.