The Human Rights Initiatives Unit was set-up in 2020 following the widening of the Human Rights Directorate Portfolio to include reforms on human trafficking, prostitution, and cannabis. These reforms were initiated under the responsibility of the Office of the Prime Minister until the re-assignment of Ministry portfolios in January 2020.
The Unit is responsible in coordinating the reforms on human trafficking, prostitution, and cannabis, which includes consulting the relevant stakeholders, gathering of information, drafting of policy proposals, and streamlining existing structures and services, amongst others. Another responsibility of the Unit is to raise awareness among the general society on the topics.
The Human Rights Initiatives Unit has been tasked with managing the Anti-Human Trafficking reform.
A Project Management and Communication Plan has been devised and drawn by Dr. Lynn Chircop Faure, Senior Manager (Project Management), Human Rights Directorate in January 2022 and presented to the recomposed Human Trafficking Monitoring Committee during their first meeting on the 2nd of February 2023.
It includes a design of a structure for the implementation of the Ministry’s national cooperation and reporting functions on matters related to Trafficking in Human Beings, as part of the wider Initiative to create a National Strategy and Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings coordinated by the Human Rights Initiatives Unit.
The Human Rights Initiatives Unit has published the below annual report for the year ending 2022 that includes the unit’s work on national coordination, reporting, evaluation and monitoring, and awareness raising in the fight against the crime of human trafficking.