Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided at their 25th summit, which ended on Friday in Dakar, Senegal, to set up special police units to combat trafficking in humans beings - usually children and women -, the UN News service reported. They also decided that special training would be provided for police, customs and immigration officials, prosecutors and judges.
The decisions form part of an action plan against trafficking in persons that was developed in conjunction with UN crime prevention experts, UN News said. It added that a protocol outlining a regional response against corruption, also developed by ECOWAS with help from the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, was adopted at the meeting.
Other results of the summit included decisions aimed at enhancing peace, stability and regional integration. Among other things, the leaders condemned the activities of illegal armed groups and expressed support for the work of UN humanitarian agencies in the region. They also called on the international community to contribute more to bringing peace to West Africa.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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