ISLAMABAD (APP) – The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) launched a national Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Hotline on Thursday, marking the first of its kind in the country.
The initiative aims to establish a national referral mechanism and management information system (MIS) accessible to the general public.
This collaborative effort with the International Labour Organization (ILO) seeks to consolidate services for victims of human trafficking under a unified platform.
The ceremony, attended by FIA Director General Mohsin Hassan, FIA Immigration ADG, the country representative of UNODC, the Australian deputy high commissioner, ILO director, US political adviser, other dignitaries and senior FIA officers from the provinces highlighted the significance of this milestone.
FIA Additional Director Shireen Malik Sher, the project's focal person, successfully completed the project under the supervision of Israr Ahmed Khan, the director of FIAs’ Anti-Human Smuggling Directorate.
The Australian High Commission, through the International Labour Organization (ILO), funded the project.
Shireen Malik Sher shared key features of the project, emphasising its unprecedented mechanism for ensuring a prompt response.
The TIP facilitation centre, upon receiving a complaint on the hotline, can swiftly forward the complaint against traffickers to relevant police stations across Pakistan with a single click. Trafficking victims will be referred to the appropriate departments for welfare.
FIA Director General Mohsin Hassan Butt, addressing the audience, described the national TIP hotline project as a pivotal moment in the fight against human trafficking. He highlighted its role in streamlining and enhancing the capacity of the FIA to comprehensively address the issue of human trafficking.
The Australian deputy high commissioner commended the joint efforts of the FIA and the ILO in launching the application, considering it a revolutionary step towards combatting the menace of human trafficking in all its forms.
In his concluding remarks, FIA DG Mohsin Butt expressed profound gratitude to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for extending assistance to the FIA.
He emphasised the proud and longstanding collaboration between the FIA and the UNODC, particularly in formulating the national action plan to combat trafficking and smuggling of migrants, setting a comprehensive agenda for collective efforts.