Looking Beneath

Between March 2015 and March 2016, IOM Malta implemented the project 'Looking Beneath' with the aim to support the Maltese Government and relevant national actors in the ongoing efforts to counter trafficking in persons, to enhance the capacities in identifying cases of trafficking and to further develop cooperation mechanisms among the different categories of stakeholders involved in this process (i.e. Immigration and Vice Squad Police, Central Visa Unit, Citizenship and Expatriates Department, Employment and Training Corporation, Department Of Industrial & Employment Relations, Diplomatic and Consular personnel, etc). The project builded upon the results achieved during the implementation of the “LIMES” project (October 2011 – May 2014) through a series of actions strengthening the functioning of the Standard Operating Procedures, which had been developed with the support of the IOM and adopted by the Maltese Government. 

The following targeted activities were undertaken in the framework of the project:

  1. Refresher training for National Referral Mechanism (NRM) stakeholders.
  2. Training for Community Outreach Centres.
  3. Training for Diplomatic and Consular staff of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Malta.
  4. Awareness raising undertakings including the development and production of leaflets in five languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Filipino and Russian), aimed at providing foreigners who come to work in Malta with information related to their rights as labour migrants, including rights at work place and different types of contracts.

The successful completion of the project in March 2016 led to the achievement of the following main results:

  1. Increased knowledge among relevant stakeholders on the issue of TIP and on the role that each actor holds within the framework of the counter-trafficking policy.
  2. Facilitated cooperation and information sharing among relevant actors on the national level.
  3. Enhanced capacities of National Referral Mechanism stakeholders, civil society representatives, as well as diplomatic and consular staff in identifying and referring cases of VoTs.
  4. Information materials targeting VoTs and potential VoTs produced and disseminated.