Under the “Strengthening TIP Prevention and Protection in Guatemala” project, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) in October 2019 began a training process for Volunteer Community Facilitators (VCFs) to prevent and combat trafficking in persons in their communities. A total of 180 individuals (133 women, 47 men) from 44 communities in the municipality of Santo Tomás Chichicastenango and six communities in the municipality of San Idelfonso Ixtahuacán, signed up to receiving training as VCFs.
The training process included five modules: one on the roles, responsibilities, and actions of Volunteer Community Facilitators, followed by two modules on the conceptual and legal frameworks for trafficking in person, one on protection and care of victims of trafficking in persons, and the last in which VCFs developed plans for community action to prevent trafficking in persons in their communities. In these plans, they identified the most vulnerable populations in their communities and determined awareness-raising activities that they could conduct together with other actors and institutions.
A total of 139 individuals participated in the training process, but only 125 (106 women, 19 men) were certified after completing the entire training process and passing a final test administrated through the virtual learning platform EDUSVET of the Secretary against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons (SVET).
As part of activities in their communities, Volunteer Community Facilitators certified by PADF and SVET planned, organized, coordinated and implemented various awareness-raising actions to prevent trafficking in persons through events to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2020. In San Idelfonso Ixtahuacán they held a forum covering the types, means, and ends of trafficking in persons, the national legal framework, and penalties under the law for trafficking in persons crimes. They also presented a skit in Mam, their native language, about 16-year-old girl named “Juana” who is an orphan. Juana lives with her aunt in extreme poverty in a rural are and becomes a victim of trafficking in persons for forced labor. Each VCF had a role as trafficker, intermediary, exploiter, or victim.
In San Andrés Sajcabajá and Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, in the department of Quiché, VCFs presented similar skit in the K’iche’ language about a 15-year-old girl studying in school. Her father has recently died and the to cover the costs of the funeral the family took out a loan. If they don’t repay the loan they will lose their land, so the girl has to stop studying and find a job to help her mother pay the debt. The point of the skit written and performed by the VCFs was to teach about trafficking for labor exploitation, how to denounce cases, and the important role of the institutions that provide attention and protection services in their communities.
In San Andrés Sajcabajá and Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, in the department of Quiché, VCFs presented similar skit in the K’iche’ language about a 15-year-old girl studying in school. Her father has recently died and the to cover the costs of the funeral the family took out a loan. If they don’t repay the loan they will lose their land, so the girl has to stop studying and find a job to help her mother pay the debt. The point of the skit written and performed by the VCFs was to teach about trafficking for labor exploitation, how to denounce cases, and the important role of the institutions that provide attention and protection services in their communities.
One such VCF working in her community to prevent trafficking in persons is Marta from the community of Caserio Chejoj in the municipality of San Idelfonso Ixtahuacán. Marta designed and disseminated from her person social media accounts digital materials to raise awareness about trafficking in persons in her community, municipality, and department. She also launched a campaign against trafficking in persons on the radio and recorded and edited several radio spots to be aired in targeted communities with the support of PADF and SVET.
