Friday 22 November 2002

Press Briefing Notes
Friday 22 November 2002
Spokesperson: Niurka Piñeiro

BELGIUM - Return and Reintegration Assistance to Victims of Trafficking
CHILE - International Migration Conference
CAMBODIA - Post Conflict Family and Child Support Programme
COLOMBIA - New Book Documents Forced Displacement



BELGIUM - Return and Reintegration Assistance to Victims of Trafficking - IOM Brussels has put in place an eight-month project to assist in the return
and reintegration of victims of trafficking, including minors.

This pilot project aims to provide 20 victims of trafficking in Belgium assistance for their voluntary return and reintegration to their home country. Reintegration assistance will be provided by the IOM office in the country of origin, in cooperation with local NGOs and authorities. Reintegration assistance includes security, medical and psychological assistance, legal counselling, employment advice, and housing.

The project was developed based on the results of an IOM study carried out between 1 April and 31 July 2002. The study collected information on the needs of victims of trafficking, in order to match these with the assistance available in the main countries of origin (Albania, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Lithuania, Moldova, Nigeria, Romania, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Ukraine). To compile the information, IOM Brussels worked with Pag-Asa, Payoke, Sürya and t'Huis, the organizations that run the shelters for victims of trafficking in Belgium, and with IOM missions in the countries of origin.

Although trafficking in human beings has been a concern to the Belgian authorities for the past decade, trafficking in adult and minors for sexual exploitation has now become a priority for the police and the judiciary. The number of cases brought before the courts has been steadily increasing. In the EU, Belgium is one of the major countries of destination for victims of trafficking, as well as one of the main transit countries. In 2000, the three specialized shelters assisted a total amount of 230 victims of trafficking.

In tackling the issue, the Belgian Government has taken the lead in Europe by adopting a comprehensive legislation against trafficking and smuggling, which include preventive and repressive measures, as well as protection for the victims.

There have been several waves of trafficking in women from different sending countries. The first came from Asia (mostly Thai and Filipino), the second from Latin Americans (Dominican and Colombian), the third from Africa (Ghanaian and Nigerian) and the most recent includes women from Central and Eastern Europe.

In Belgium, nearly one out of two adult victims comes from Central and Eastern Europe or from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The high level of poverty and unemployment in the countries of origin, as well as tighter immigration controls act as major push factors for trafficking. The majority of the victims are forced into the sex industry and the rest are engaged in domestic labour, usually without pay or a contract.

As for minors who fall prey to traffickers, the majority are forced into prostitution. The others are either victims of economic exploitation, or forced into illegal activities (stealing, etc.). As is the case with the adults, the majority of the minors are from Central and Eastern Europe or from the CIS. Recruitment techniques generally include abduction, sale by the child's family, the use of bogus adoption agencies and false work offers.

The IOM project is financed by the Belgian Federal Ministry of Employment and Labour. For further information, please contact Ms. Cécile Riallant, criallant@iom.int

CHILE - International Migration Conference - A three-day international conference jointly organized by IOM and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) ends today in Santiago.

The conference, which brought together representatives from over 40 countries, including government authorities, migration experts and civil society, focuses on human rights and human trafficking in the Americas.

Richard Perruchoud, IOM's Executive Officer, told the participants, "We know there is much work to be done in this region to counter the trafficking of human beings, including spurring development and finding legal channels for migration. IOM is here and remains committed to work with its Member States on this endeavour. Fighting the trafficking of human beings has become an urgent matter."

Speaking at the opening of the conference, the head of ECLAC, José Antonio Ocampo, called for more human rights protection for migrants in destination countries and urged for the adoption of a global accord on migration policies. He added that there are more than 17 million people from the ECLAC region living in industrialized countries.

According to a recent ECLAC study, nearly 70 percent of migrants from the region live legally or illegally in the United States, while the remaining 30 percent remain within the region or live in Canada, Australia, Japan or Europe. Migration within the region, especially into economically beleaguered Argentina and Venezuela, has diminished of late, but countries such as Costa Rica, Chile and the Dominican Republic have seen increased arrivals.

Remittances from the region's migrants in 2000 amounted to US$17 billion. In El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, remittances contribute up to 14 percent of the gross domestic product

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS, UNHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Latin American Economic System (SELA) are also attending this meeting.

CAMBODIA - Post Conflict Family and Child Support Programme - The IOM office in Phnom Penh is providing psychosocial rehabilitation to Cambodian children and adolescents exposed to years intense armed conflict that has spanned over the past 30 years.

The programme provides for enhanced training for teachers, focusing on child behaviour, extra-curricular activities, as well as increasing awareness of the dangers and consequences of substance abuse. The programme will also work towards improving the understanding amongst teachers, parents and community workers/ activists about the risks of post-conflict trauma and maladjustment in children. The programme identifies and refers children, adolescents and/or family members in need of psychiatric attention and treatment.

Part of the programme involves raising awareness of the risks of post-conflict trauma and substance abuse amongst children through the dissemination of information.

Doctor Eng Samnang of the Cambodian Ministry of Health, speaking in Battambang province said, "Due to exposure to armed conflict, many people have become susceptible, not only to physical trauma, but also psychological trauma due to the horrible events which occurred here. This programme is an important and essential project to help the population recover from this trauma."

So far this year, the programme is active in 26 schools, hosting 9,228 students. Of this total, 103 were identified to suffer behavioural and/or emotional problems.

The IOM Post Conflict Family and Child Support Programme has been extended for two years, until September 2004. The NGO Terre des Hommes/Germany has provided partial funding for the programme. Additional donors for the remainder of the activities are currently being sought.

For more information, please contact Andy Siegman, IOM Cambodia Tel: 855.23.216.532 asiegman@iom.int

COLOMBIA - New Book Documents Forced Displacement - The IOM office in Bogotá and the Psychology Department of the Javeriana University have worked together on the study and documentation of forced displacement and its psychosocial consequences in Colombia.

A new book launched this week titled: "Internal Displacement and Psychosocial Assistance: The Challenge of Reinventing a New Life" (Desplazamiento Interno y Atención Psicosocial: El reto de reinventar la vida) has brought together all the information available on forced internal displacement in Colombia.

The book is a reference tool, with a focus on the psychosocial aspects of displacement, for all organizations and individuals working with internally displaced persons and studying the phenomenon. In it, they can find specific information pertaining to dates, areas of origin, where the displaced have taken refuge, the type of assistance provided, and lessons learnt.

The work was begun by the Javeriana University and finished OIM support. Financial assistance was provided through IOM by USAID. The book includes a CD which includes the database and other vital information for research on the subject. The CD and the database allow for new information to be added so that all aspects of internal displacement will be properly archived and at the disposal of all interested parties.

For more information, please contact Lilian Arias, IOM Bogotá Tel: 57.1.636.2456.