FAST and ACAMS Unveil Spanish Translation of Vital Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Certificate

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of their efforts to strengthen global responses to forced labour and sex trafficking, Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), an initiative hosted at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), and ACAMS have collaborated to launch the Spanish translation of a recently updated training certificate for anti-financial crime professionals in the public and private sectors. The newly revised Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking certificate outlines strategies to identify, investigate, and report financial activity linked to traffickers, incorporating insights from several new case studies.

The addition of a Spanish translation, following earlier releases in French and Japanese, aims to make the training more accessible to financial sector professionals in Europe and Latin America. This expansion supports broader efforts to combat modern slavery and human trafficking globally.

These crimes continue to devastate lives across the Spanish-speaking world. According to the 2023 Global Slavery Index by Walk Free, 3.6 million individuals in the Americas are currently in conditions of forced labour. In Venezuela, for instance, which has been undergoing a prolonged economic crisis for several years, approximately 9.5 people per thousand are currently experiencing modern slavery. More stable economies are not immune: the figure stands at 1.9 in Uruguay and 2 in Spain.

Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking draws on industry leaders' insights to explore financial sector obligations concerning anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) compliance. It also covers due diligence principles and survivor engagement.

"Translating the ACAMS-FAST course will enhance the accessibility of this important resource and provide more practitioners with the guidance they need to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking," argues Alice Eckstein, Project Director of the FAST Initiative. "We cannot address these risks without the involvement of the financial sector – and the new translations help strengthen the sector's capacity to act."

The course offers professionals in the financial sector a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving illicit money flows linked to modern slavery and human trafficking. This includes recognizing financial footprints through transactional analysis, identifying red flags, and understanding key indicators. The course also equips participants with the knowledge to manage modern slavery risks through practices such as customer due diligence, inclusive AML policies, financial inclusion measures, and engagement with various stakeholders. It further emphasizes the importance of collaboration between industry, law enforcement, civil society, and survivors in providing effective prevention, remedy, and other responses.

"Human trafficking, a grave violation of human rights, knows no boundaries, affecting individuals across the globe irrespective of age or gender. This insidious crime often operates in the shadows, intertwined with other illicit activities, rendering it a complex challenge that necessitates a concerted and informed global response. It is in this context that we introduce this free certificate program in Spanish, to help advance the global fight against human trafficking.

This certificate is meticulously designed to equip financial crime compliance professionals with the knowledge, skills, and tools required to identify and counteract human trafficking networks effectively," ACAMS CEO, Neil Sternthal said.

The Spanish version of the Fighting Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking certificate can be accessed at: www.acams.org/es/esclavitudmoderna

About ACAMS®

ACAMS is a leading international membership organization dedicated to providing opportunities for anti-financial crime (AFC) education, best practices, and peer-to-peer networking to AFC professionals globally. With over 100,000 members across 180 jurisdictions, ACAMS is committed to the mission of ending financial crime through the provision of anti-money laundering/counterterrorism-financing and sanctions knowledge-sharing, thought leadership, risk-mitigation services, ESG initiatives, and platforms for public-private dialogue. The association's CAMS certification is the gold- standard qualification for AFC professionals, while its CGSS and CCAS certifications are for sanctions professionals and AFC practitioners working in the crypto space, respectively. ACAMS' 60+ Chapters globally further amplify the association's mission through training and networking initiatives. Visit acams.org for more information.

About FAST

Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) is a multi-stakeholder initiative based at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) aiming to mobilize the financial sector against modern slavery and human trafficking. FAST is a knowledge partner for Governments, Multilateral Organizations, and financial sector actors alike. Through its alliance-building and survivor-informed approach, FAST works with its partners around the world, to end modern slavery and human trafficking in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 8.7. For more information: www.fastinitiative.org  

SOURCE Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)