Cabo Verde has signed a protocol that provides for the mobilization and professional development of associated platform organizations to identify risk factors, direct potential victims, and develop community measures, with a special focus on women, children, youth, migrants, and people in vulnerable social situations.
The protocol establishes a framework for cooperation in areas such as raising awareness and mobilizing communities, training civil society organizations, identifying and referring potential victims, providing assistance and reintegration, data collection, and knowledge creation.
This cooperation aims to improve the country's response in a context where Cabo Verde remains susceptible to sexual and labor exploitation risks, linked, among other things, to migratory mobility, tourism, construction, and informal employment.
The President of PONGCV, Felisberto Moreira, noted that the three-year agreement should lead to joint actions on the ground and enhance the capacity to protect victims.
Moreira emphasized the ability of the institution, which is a representative body of civil society organizations, to mobilize its members and bring actions closer to communities. He also advocated for the need to train leaders of associations and communities, adding that the work will be based on an action plan with goals, objectives, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The goal is to measure the impact of the measures taken across different islands.
In July 2025, ONTP warned that Cabo Verde lacks reliable data on human trafficking and called for greater involvement from authorities and increased public awareness. According to ONTP data, approximately 13 cases were officially registered between 2016 and 2024, and one conviction was recorded during the same period.
At the time, Cabo Verde launched a campaign designed to inform the public and assess their knowledge of human trafficking. ONTP includes representatives from various sectors and seeks to consolidate prevention and victim protection strategies, fostering coordinated activity among different institutions.