Over 60 priests throughout Moldova were mobilised for activities aimed at prevention of trafficking in human beings.

After several regional seminars, carried out in Balti and Cahul, the last training was developed during September 25-30, 2006, with the participation of priests from Chisinau Municipality. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission to the Republic of Moldova, following the initiative and in partnership with the Social Mission "Diaconia" of the Bessarabia Metropolitan Church, launched this programme in February, 2006.

The aim of this program is to inform and raise awareness among priests about the risks of human trafficking, to cultivate a tolerant attitude towards victims in secular and religious communities and to involve the clergy in the promotion of counter-trafficking messages. "In the past I failed to provide the proper guidance and help to several people which now I know were victims of trafficking. I did not know then what to do and how to sooth their pain. I now feel I am more prepared to counsel them", said Ioan Cosoi, priest of Bessarabia Metropolitan Church at the end of the training program.

Amid the activities to be subsequently carried out in parishes will be preaches, pastoral visits, travel prayers and classes of moral-spiritual education. In addition, the priests will contribute to reducing trafficking and re-trafficking, by providing assistance for the reintegration of victims into society.

Following the successful example of Romania and Ukraine, the program of mobilising priests to prevent trafficking in persons includes the elaboration of a training guide "Prevention of Trafficking in Persons through Pastoral and Didactic Activities" which contains theological reference points aimed at supporting the priests in their attempts to organise prevention activities in their parishes. They will be able to counsel spiritually persons who decided to leave abroad and those who managed to come home. The guide will also serve as a didactic instrument for the priests in developing activities in educational institutions in extra-curricular time.

Based on this experience, IOM Moldova launches a broader project of involving faith-based organizations in prevention and fighting of human trafficking. This project will be implemented in collaboration with the Moldova Partnership Program of the World Council of Churches, which represents a cooperation platform for Orthodox Church (Moldova Metropolitan Church and Bessarabia Metropolitan Church), Romano-Catholic Church, the Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Republic of Moldova. The churches, representing the most numerous religious confessions from the Republic of Moldova, will create a Multi-denominational Coalition to Prevent Trafficking in Persons. The activities carried out in the framework of this project will involve over 1000 priests and relevant personnel from religious institutions throughout the country. Thus, 40 regional information and awareness raising seminars on human trafficking will be organized, 4 in-depth workshops for community actions will be developed, a publication of sermons on the human trafficking theme will be elaborated, and the guide "Prevention of Trafficking in Persons through Pastoral and Didactic Activities" will be republished. In addition, a grant mechanism will be developed to support the activities targeting the prevention of human trafficking at community level and will be implemented by faith-based organizations.

Rationalizing the need for implementing such a programme, Martin Andreas Wyss, Chief of IOM Mission stated that " The Church is the natural defender of the weak and the meek, the lonely and the despaired. The private suffering of those who are trafficked and those who survived trafficking needs to be recognized and acknowledged by the men of the cloth who perform the ceremonies in our Churches. If the Church and its members have more knowledge about the hidden wounds in these women's soul, it will be better prepared to understand and assist them, it will be more open to reach out to them and to alleviate their suffering.", said Martin Andreas Wyss.

The IOM Moldova activities to mobilise faith-based organizations in prevention and fighting trafficking in persons are developed with the financial support provided by the European Commission and the US Government.