Tuesday 5 November 2002

Press Briefing Notes
Tuesday 5 November 2002
Spokesperson: Jean Philippe Chauzy

1. HUNGARY - Counter Trafficking Included in School Curriculum
2. GEORGIA - Computerized Border Controls Installed

HUNGARY - Counter Trafficking Included in School Curriculum - The Hungarian Ministry of Education has agreed to include in the national curriculum a programme developed by IOM and partner agencies to educate secondary school pupils about human trafficking.

With many traffickers targeting high school students, particularly girls, the programme will address trafficking issues in the same way that it alerts pupils to the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Sex education is also a compulsory part of the national curriculum in Hungary.

The decision follows a series of EU-funded initiatives begun in 1999, when IOM launched a counter trafficking information campaign in Hungary targeting teenagers, but also raising awareness among civil servants, police, medical and social workers about the trade in human beings and the implications for victims.

Between February 2001 and January this year, IOM, backed by additional EU-funding, worked closely with the Hungarian Ministries of Interior and Education, the NANE Women's Rights Association, the Mediator Foundation and the Sex Education Foundation to further raise awareness of the problem among young people and teachers, particularly in schools and colleges. Activities included the development and distribution of counter-trafficking educational materials developed by IOM and its partners.

GEORGIA - Computerized Border Controls Installed - IOM this week completed construction of two computerized border control booths at Georgia's Red Bridge border with Azerbaijan. The US- funded project, which is part of IOM's migration management capacity building efforts in the region, follows two migration management workshops held in Tibilisi in March for border control officials from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The booths, located at one of Georgia's busiest border crossing points, are equipped with four computers with special border data management system software, passport examination boxes, magnifier, UV lights and passport readers.

The equipment will allow the Georgian authorities to improve their migration management on a sensitive border crossing point and to crack down on the growing problems of illegal migration and human trafficking in the region.

IOM research carried out in 2001 showed that hundreds of Georgian women are trafficked abroad every year. Most fall into the hands of traffickers for economic reasons end up working in the sex industry, as domestics, in agriculture or in construction.

Major destination countries for Georgian trafficking victims include Greece, Turkey, the United States, Spain and France. Georgian women are also trafficked in smaller numbers to the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Cyprus and Switzerland.