Hand in hand with the first generation of young representatives of the Piénsalo 2 Veces campaign, the leadership, talent and commitment of the youth were present to promote informed decision-making when looking for new job opportunities in the country, learning about their rights and not being victims of labour exploitation or human trafficking, as well as developing the skills of each participant who will be actively involved in the implementation of the campaign in Panama.

The 22 new young leaders of different nationalities who, through the different sessions carried out jointly with the technical team of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the National Commission against Trafficking in Persons, placed in the foreground the dialogue and analysis of the main risk factors when facing this crime.

For Carlos Gutierrez, one of the young participants, "these training spaces carried out through the campaign have a great impact and are key to the exchange of valuable information when looking for new job opportunities and knowing that the best way to counteract the risks is to be correctly informed".

In the same way, Daniela Yovera affirms that "the power of information allows us to make better life decisions and by recognizing ourselves as people with rights and duties regardless of our migratory status. Thanks to the knowledge acquired today I can identify these risk situations as suspicious job offers, a virtual love interest or an international trip that seems very good at first, but that in the end can lead us to situations of labour exploitation or human trafficking."

"Access to suitable and verified information is a human right, and through the communication methodologies for development that we are implementing in Panama through this campaign, we are strengthening capacities, especially in young populations, to detect false information and offers related to job opportunities, in addition to teaching them about their labour rights, and local development options for youth are promoted at the same time," said Idiam Osorio, Technical Specialist for Programmes and Projects at IOM in Panama.

For her part, Dayra Campos, Secretary-General of the National Commission against Trafficking in Persons, encouraged the people present to maintain the commitment and leadership of each of the participants to be the protagonists of the environmental conservation scenario of Honduras, where everyone is obliged to take care of the biocultural heritage, biodiversity and natural resources to continue developing the country.

Piénsalo 2 Veces is implemented in Panama through the Communication for Development methodology, which promotes positive social changes in the target population and seeks the active participation of communities in the design, validation and dissemination of messages. The actions have been developed together with more than 30 strategic allies in Panama from both the public and private sectors.

For more information, contact IOM Panama's communications team via email iompanama@iom.int