Friday 31 October 2003

Press Briefing Notes
Friday 31 October 2003
Spokesperson: Jean Philippe Chauzy

CROATIA - Award for Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign
ALBANIA - Counter Trafficking Campaign Gathers Momentum
ZAMBIA - MIDSA Workshop on Forced Migration
ETHIOPIA -The Diaspora as National Capacity Development Strategy
MOZAMBIQUE- IOM Assists EU Observation Mission to Elections


CROATIA - Award for Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign - IOM's national public awareness campaign to combat human
trafficking received the "Golden Bell" award for the best comprehensive 2003 campaign at this year's Festival of Advertising in Opatija, Croatia.

The US$80,000 campaign funded by the US and Dutch governments and using the slogan: "Trafficking in Humans is our Reality. Let's Stop It", was designed pro bono by the international advertising agency BBDO.

The campaign, launched in March, included the airing of free spots on Croatian National TV and 20 local radio stations nationwide, as well as the distribution of leaflets, posters, brochures, postcards, bookmarks, pocket calendars, stickers, logos on bags of sugar, and shopping bags.

Campaign materials were concentrated in high visibility places such as border crossings, public transport, schools and employment agencies and addressed both the dangers of trafficking and ways to prevent it.

Two surveys, one carried out in February prior to the launch of the campaign and one in June, show that awareness of trafficking amongst a random sample of 600 respondents shot from 45% to 80%.

Working with two partner NGOs, IOM also ran a free SOS helpline for trafficking victims in Croatia. More than 1,400 persons called the toll free number 0800-77 99.

As part of the campaign, IOM Zagreb also introduced preventive education on human trafficking into Croatian high schools. A module was designed in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Croatian NGOs to educate both teachers and students on the dangers posed by human traffickers in the countries as well as in neighbouring countries. This module will now been included in the national high school curriculum.

Prior to the launch of the campaign, IOM also organized a Counter Trafficking workshop for Croatian journalists reporting on human trafficking. Topics covered in the seminar, which was facilitated by an experienced investigative journalist, legal experts and a university professor of journalism, included the rights of trafficking victims and the need to avoid stereotyping and sensationalism in reporting an activity often linked to organized crime.

The campaign was coordinated with the National CT Committee of the Government of Croatia, which includes the Ministries of Education, Interior, Labour and Social Welfare and Health, and with NGOs, donor embassies and international organisations.

IOM signed a memorandum of understanding with the Croatian Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare to work together in maintaining Croatia's first national shelter and reception centres for victims of trafficking; providing psychosocial, medical and legal assistance; and facilitating safe and organized voluntary return of victims to their homes.

For further information contact Lovorka Marinovic, IOM Zagreb, Tel. 385.983.84655 lovorkam@iom.int

ALBANIA - Counter Trafficking Campaign Gathers Momentum - As part of IOM's ongoing information campaign to raise public awareness and combat human trafficking, an 11 minute documentary containing testimonials of Albanian victims trafficked to Italy and a brochure were launched yesterday in Tirana.

A documentary titled "It Might Even Happen to Me One Day!' contains information for Albanian victims of trafficking and draws attention to the recent Italian legislative provisions to combat trafficking and protect victims, as established under Article 18 of the Italian Aliens Law no. 89/2003. The brochure "Emigrating to Italy: Know More About It" provides general information on legal migration channels to Italy and details services offered to victims of trafficking, from protection to return and reintegration assistance.

"Albanian society is much more aware of trafficking than it used to be," says IOM's Chief of Mission Maurizio Busatti. "IOM will continue to work with the authorities to promote awareness amongst the general public."

In the past two years IOM, in close cooperation with Albanian partners, has offered return and reintegration assistance to more than 120 victims of trafficking. This includes safe shelter, medical assistance and psychological counselling, vocational training and job placement.

This initiative is part of an Italian funded programme, which aims to promote best practices in the field of assistance to victims of trafficking.

ZAMBIA - MIDSA Workshop on Forced Migration - The Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) held a workshop this week on Forced Migration in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

The three-day event brought together 15 governments in the region and observers from the diplomatic missions, United Nations agencies, the African Union, and NGOs. The participants discussed recommendations on how to address various aspects of population displacements.

During the IOM-supported event, the challenges related to the nature of population flows and the insufficient legislation and technical capacities to meet them were also considered.

The group recommended that regular meetings be established between national refugee commissioners and others involved with displaced persons to better monitor situations and coordinate responses. They also agreed that guiding principles on internal displacement should be included in national legislations.

The need for regionally coordinated repatriation agreements and legislation was also on the agenda. It was also suggested that countries in the region, together with countries affected by population displacement and donors, consider comprehensive plans of action to assist in the relief, recovery and effective reintegration of displaced persons and returnees.

The IOM Regional Representative for Southern Africa, Hans Petter Boe said, "MIDSA is a process that continues to evolve and to attract governments and civil society in the region. The international community by and large favours regional approaches, and indeed the MIDSA formula is taking root in West and East Africa."

IOM offers its expertise and acts as an honest broker in regional consultative processes in the Western Mediterranean, the Americas and Asia.

For more information, contact IOM Pretoria, Han Petter Boe, Tel: 27.12.342.2789.

ETHIOPIA -The Diaspora as National Capacity Development Strategy - The Ministry of Capacity Building of the Government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with IOM and UNDP recently held a one day workshop under the theme: 'Working towards a National Capacity Development Policy for Ethiopia'.

The workshop aimed to work towards the development of a national plan to harness skilled human and other resources from within and abroad. Through a panel discussion and an interactive forum, strategies for mobilization, optimal utilization and retention of skilled Ethiopians in the country as well as in the diaspora were discussed. Participants included members of the public and private sectors, civil society, UN agencies, international organizations and the donor community.

The exodus of skilled Ethiopians over the past few decades has contributed significantly to the 'brain drain' phenomenon. According to the Ministry of Education, the Government of Ethiopia spends over US$5.3 million every year in hiring expatriates to address the shortage of qualified staff in the country.

An IOM paper entitled 'Creating an Enabling Policy Environment for National Capacity Development in Ethiopia', stressed that capacity building rests must draw on a better utilisation of human resources by retaining skills at home and mobilising talent in the diaspora.

Fikru Desalegn, State Minister of Capacity Building told the participants that Ethiopians in the diaspora offer varied and potentially transferable expertise in wide-ranging technical fields, which can fill in the human resource gap of the nation. "The financial resources accumulated by the Ethiopians over long years of their stay can also be injected into the economy to create more job opportunities and promote trade and investment."

Fikru added that the government, through its newly introduced Education and Training Policy, as well as the 20-year Education Sector Development Programme, has been making efforts to raise the standard and level of education that will adequately meet the development needs of the nation.

The major recommendations brought forward in the workshop were: to establish a multi-stakeholder working committee, chaired by the Ministry of Capacity Building, made up of ministers, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders; to create a database of Ethiopian professionals living abroad, to encourage a manpower survey on local skills, and to create an inter-agency office dedicated to the diaspora to synchronize and streamline ongoing efforts.

For more information, contact IOM Addis Ababa, Sara Mohammed iom.sara.mohammed@wfp.org
Tel. 251 1 51 51 88, Ext. 2297

MOZAMBIQUE- IOM Assists EU Observation Mission to Elections- IOM teams in Brussels and Maputo are working closely with the EU Observer mission that will monitor the country's local elections taking place next month.

An IOM team in the Mozambican capital has helped in the deployment of the EU Mission's 7 members Core Team and of 14 Long Term Observers (LTO). IOM and the Core Team are now preparing for the arrival and deployment of 20 Short Term Observers who will be deployed all over the country to assist the LTOs during the first round of the election scheduled for 19 November 2003.

Prior to the arrival of the members of the EU mission, IOM set up and equipped the EU EOM Office in Maputo. IOM ensures provision and maintenance of all the IT, communication, office and other necessary equipment.

This programme is implemented under the umbrella of the European Initiative for Democratization and Human Rights (EIDHR), the EU Election Observation Missions are part of the developing mandate of the EU focusing on protection and promotion of Human Rights and support for democratization.