IOM provided training to 37 Kenya Airways (KQ) employees from travel document, rapid response, passenger services, investigation, aviation security trainers, cargo security and security standards teams on how to identify, protect, and refer victims of trafficking (VoTs) they might encounter while performing their duties.

The training feeds into the recent partnership that KQ and IOM accomplished with a signature of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 5 July 2024. IOM and KQ are synergising in a journey to implement measures to promote the protection of migrants and people on the move and facilitate regular pathways for migration. Enhancing regular pathways, saving lives, and protecting people on the move are part of IOM’s strategic priorities, which aim to deliver a whole-of-society approach to migration, including through partnerships and engagement with the private sector.

The two-day training conducted on 15 and 16 August 2024 at Pride Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, was implemented in collaboration with CIVIPOL under the Better Migration Management (BMM) Programme funded by the European Union (EU) and Germany. The training oriented the officers on prosecuting traffickers, with emphasis on the legal frameworks and processes involved in bringing perpetrators to justice.

By empowering KQ’s front-line employees with this knowledge, IOM seeks to strengthen the airline’s role as a crucial partner in the global fight against trafficking in persons, ensuring that no victim of trafficking goes unnoticed or unassisted. Moreover, the initiative underscores KQ’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and the well-being of all travellers.

The BMM Programme is financed by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Its objective is to improve the safe, orderly, and regular management of migration within and from the Horn of Africa region by applying a human rights-based approach. The programme is implemented by British Council, CIVIPOL, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, IOM, and UNODC in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda.