FIA launches hotline for reporting human trafficking cases

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) launched the country’s first Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Hotline on Thursday. The initiative, developed in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), aims to establish a national referral mechanism and a management information system (MIS) for the general public. The goal is to ensure streamlined services for victims of human trafficking under a unified system.

The ceremony was attended by Director General FIA Mohsin Hassan, ADG Immigration FIA, the country representative of UNODC, the Australian Deputy High Commissioner, Director ILO, US Political Advisor, and other dignitaries, along with senior FIA officers from the provinces.

Shireen Malik Sher, Additional Director of FIA and the project’s focal person, worked under the supervision of Israr Ahmed Khan, Director Anti-Human Smuggling Directorate of FIA, and successfully completed the project in a short timeframe. The Australian High Commission funded the project through the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Shireen Malik Sher highlighted the main features of the project, emphasizing its prompt response mechanism. She explained that upon receiving a complaint on the hotline, the TIP facilitation centre would swiftly forward the complaint against traffickers to the relevant police stations across Pakistan with a single click. Trafficking victims would then be referred to the appropriate departments for welfare.

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Addressing the audience, DG FIA Mohsin Hassan Butt stated that the National TIP Hotline project for the National Referral Mechanism marked a pivotal moment in the fight against human trafficking crimes. He emphasized that this initiative represented a significant step toward a more coordinated, efficient, and harmonized approach to addressing trafficking in persons across the country.

The Australian Deputy High Commissioner commended the efforts of FIA and ILO, stating that the application launch would be a revolutionary step in combating the menace of human trafficking in all its forms.

In concluding remarks, DG FIA Mohsin Hassan Butt expressed gratitude to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for its assistance to FIA. He highlighted the longstanding and fruitful collaboration between FIA and UNODC, noting that the National Action Plan to combat Trafficking In Person and Smuggling of Migrants was formulated in collaboration with UNODC to establish a comprehensive agenda for collective efforts.