With the aim of combating human trafficking and reducing the vulnerability of victims, the Government of El Salvador, through the National Council against Human Trafficking (CNCTP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) joined the “Corazón Azul” (Blue Heart) campaign. Blue Heart is funded by the Government of Canada and the United States Government through the State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
Blue Heart is an awareness-raising initiative to combat human trafficking and its impact on society. The campaign seeks to encourage mass participation and inspire the creation of measures to help end this crime.
Vice President of El Salvador and Commissioner for Public and Private Investment Oscar Ortiz said: “This campaign will have enormous positive impacts in El Salvador. We must take care of the main asset we have, our people.” He also highlighted that El Salvador has four instruments to combat human trafficking, the Special Law against Human Trafficking; start-up; the specialized units of the National Civilian Police (PNC) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR); and the implementation of the National System for Victim Assistance, in municipalities prioritized by their level of violence.
U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Mark C. Johnson said: “This is a crime that affects the most vulnerable people in our societies, taking advantage of the extreme conditions of poverty and insecurity in which they live…. Every citizen can act and — more importantly — must act. You must learn to recognize the signs of possible victims and perpetrators.“
Read more about the Blue Heart campaign at https://www.unodc.org/blueheart/
