Tuesday 22 October 2002

Press Briefing Notes
Tuesday 22 October 2002
Spokesperson: Jean Philippe Chauzy

DENMARK - Afghan Asylum Seekers Return Home
MOLDOVA - Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Trafficking
ETHIOPIA- Workshop on Labour Migration and Trafficking in Women





DENMARK - Afghan Asylum Seekers Return Home - IOM will tomorrow help four failed Afghan asylum seekers to return home from Denmark under a
Danish government-assisted voluntary repatriation scheme.

The plan, which was introduced on September 15th and is scheduled to expire November 1st, provides air travel with IOM and a reintegration grant, paid by IOM. The grant is USD 2,400 for adults and USD 800 for children.

A further 21 Afghan migrants, who have also accepted the Danish offer, are expected to fly home with IOM next week. One other asylum seeker returned from Denmark with IOM last week.

Both groups will travel from Copenhagen via Frankfurt, where they will join Ariana Afghan Airlines' new weekly connecting flight to Kabul.

In Afghanistan, IOM staff will meet the returnees and provide temporary accommodation for them in Kabul, before arranging onward transport to their final destinations.


MOLDOVA - Rehabilitation Centre for Victims of Trafficking - The IOM rehabilitation centre for victims of human trafficking has assisted 263 women since it opened a year ago in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital.


The centre, which has 20-bed capacity, caters for both urban and rural trafficked women, providing a range of services under a single roof. These include first night reception and counselling; gynaecological and sexually transmitted disease (STD) examinations and treatment; psychological and social counselling; group therapy; vocational orientation services, as well as board and lodging.

Evidence suggests that Moldova is now the main European country of origin for trafficking in women and children for forced prostitution in Western Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. In 2000-2002, IOM Moldova assisted 907 victims of trafficking.

This year alone, IOM provided return and reintegration assistance to 65 Moldovan women trafficked to the FYR of Macedonia. A further 62 returned from Bosnia- Herzegovina, 25 from Kosovo and 26 from Yugoslavia.

In March 2001, IOM launched a counter trafficking information campaign in Moldova supported by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency. As part of the campaign, 5,000 posters, 10,000 pocket calendars, 29,000 flyers, 5,000 stickers and 15,000 picture novels were distributed throughout the country. The slogans of the campaign "You Are Not an Object!", "You're not for sale!" and "Learn to read between the lines!" warned potential victims of the pitfalls of irregular migration.

The information material was distributed through the NGO La Strada-Moldova International Women's Centre and with the help of the US Peace Corps. The material was distributed in the capital and in post offices, libraries, schools, and other high visibility places in 57 localities throughout the country.

IOM also worked with the mass media and organised several workshops for Moldavan journalists. Two Public Service Announcements were produced and widely disseminated on ORT (a Russian-language TV channel) and National Television. IOM also produced a 23-minute TV documentary drama based on real life stories of women assisted.


ETHIOPIA - Workshop on Labour Migration and Trafficking in Women - A workshop on labour migration and trafficking in women organised by IOM in cooperation with the Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office opens in Addis Ababa today.

The aim of the four-day workshop is to assist the Ethiopian Government in its efforts to review national policies and legislation in order to improve migration management structures and build management capacity.

Representatives from the government and regional authorities, NGOs, local and international organisations, employment agencies, the media and other stakeholders, will attend the workshop, which is supported by the United Kingdom and Finland.

The meeting will provide a forum for participants to discuss a broad range of migration issues and to further ongoing national cooperation in the field of migration management. The issues of irregular migration and of trafficking in human beings will be discussed, with an emphasis on prevention, protection and reintegration of victims of trafficking, in particular women.

This workshop follows a national workshop on Trafficking of Women from Ethiopia held in Addis Ababa in February 2001 organised by IOM and Ethiopian authorities.

For further information, please contact Ms. Rakeb Messele, IOM Addis Ababa, Tel 251 1 51 51 88, ext. 2299, e-mail: iom.rakeb.messele@wfp.org