Tuesday 5 August 2003

Press Briefing Notes
Tuesday 5 August 2003
Spokesperson: Jean-Philippe Chauzy

TUNISIA - Students Create Tourist Jobs at Roman Site -
COLOMBIA - Counter-Trafficking Campaign Launched


TUNISIA - Students Create Tourist Jobs at Roman Site - Twenty-eight students from France, Italy, Morocco and Tunisia have ended an IOM-sponsored EU
and Italian-funded two-week summer camp at the Roman site of Haïdra, in the western region of Kasserine.

Participants aged 18 to 25 took part in efforts to enhance and promote Haidra, one of the largest and richest archaeological sites in the country, and home to the 3rd Augustan Roman legion in the 1st century AD.

This initiative is part of IOM's Italian-funded PROCHE programme (Programme Pilote de Promotion du Développement des Zones d'Emigration en Tunisie), which aims to encourage Tunisian nationals, especially those resident abroad as well as Italian entrepreneurs, to invest in local enterprises that will create jobs, generate income and improve the living conditions of local workers in areas with high emigration rates.

Because of its location at the crossroads between the ancient cities Thabarka, Gafsa, Carthage and Tebassa (Thevessse in neighbouring Algeria) Haidra was an important political, economical and religious centre throughout Roman, Byzantine and Arab times.

Over the past two weeks, students working under the close supervision of experts from the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine excavated part of the old Roman paved road, which linked the ancient capital of Carthage to Tebessa, some 320 kilometres to the west.

As part of the programme, fencing to mark the site has been set up and an information leaflet on Haidra is now available in six languages (Arabic, French, Italian, English, German and Spanish) through the Tunisian Tourism board.

Hamma Aski, the Governor's representative in Haidra, welcomes this initiative, "Some 10,000 people scrape a living in and around Haidra from agriculture and cattle farming. But five consecutive years of drought have further impoverished a population with a long tradition of emigration. We urgently need to promote Haidra to attract tourists and generate much needed employment opportunities."

Students participating in the camp discussed the migration challenges facing people in economically depressed Mahgreb regions like Kasserine. Eighteen-year-old Anthony Blanc studies psychology at Toulouse University, "We had open and sometimes passionate discussions about migration, on how it can benefit migrants. We also discussed the dangers of irregular migration and the need to encourage people to migrate legally. We also talked about various cultural and religious issues. In the end, we found that we all shared the same values of tolerance and understanding."

The second summer camp will take place in Haidra from August 24 to September 7 with students from Australia, France, Italy and Tunisia.

COLOMBIA - Counter-Trafficking Campaign Launched - Under the slogan "WE ALL HAVE VALUE, WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE IS A PRICE", the IOM office in Colombia launched a counter-trafficking campaign aimed at providing information to potential victims of trafficking.

Colombia has the third highest number of victims of trafficking in Latin America, following the Dominican Republic and Brazil. In Colombia between 2 and 10 people are trafficked every day for prostitution and slavery, according to figures reported by the Department of Security Administration (DAS).

To get the message to all potential victims and the public at large, the campaign will include television and radio spots, and a series of three posters that will be widely distributed. The TV and radio spots and the campaign posters are being aired and displayed in Bogotá. Three telephone hotlines will be set up to provide information - for national calls 018000 5 22 020; within the capital, Bogotá 6001035; and international calls: 571 600 10 35. The underground transportation system in the city of Medellín will also display the posters. The campaign and its message will also be taken to the regions most affected by trafficking.

The campaign was launched with the support of the President's Office, the Office of the First Lady and the Royal Dutch Embassy.