Chisinau, 2008 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Moldovan Christian Aid and the Inter-Denominational Coalition for Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings are training Church leaders to use advocacy techniques in the fight against trafficking.
According to the International Organization for Migration trafficking in human beings continues to be a serious problem for the Republic of Moldova. In 2007, 273 victims have been assisted by the Chisinau based Rehabilitation Centre (295 in 2006; 265 in 2005). Because of the hidden nature of the crime and because of the stigma attached to victims by their communities, the real figure of victims is hard to estimate. Nonetheless, IOM believes that the situation is gradually improving and that trafficking is being fought successfully through a number of measures and activities. Particular mention needs to be made of the improved cooperation among anti-trafficking partners and the heightened awareness among social actors, leading to better identification of victims and of the many vulnerable women still at risk of being trafficked.
Thanks to this Faith Based Initiative, Moldovan Church representatives have been involved successfully in the prevention and the fight against human trafficking. This event is aimed at strengthening and consolidating their role in this field. The modules will focus on the best use of advocacy mechanisms in the fight against human trafficking. The training will be lead by Torsten Moritz, from the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME), Brussels, and HR Father Savvas Michaelides, from the Russian Orthodox Church of Saint Stilianos, Cyprus. The participants will exercise advocacy strategies in the light of the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings which in Moldova entered into force on 1st of February 2008.
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Current results of the Programme include:
• more than 700 priests and pastors were trained to use trafficking prevention techniques and equipped with manuals and DVDs with testimonies of victims to distribute information in congregations and communities;
• a National Day of Prayer was organized on December 2, 2007 and a compilation of sermons was widely distributed;
• adding action to words, the trainees have implemented 18 prevention projects in their communities so far.
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The Inter-Denominational Coalition for Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings includes the Moldovan Orthodox Churches from both Patriarchates, the Union of Christian Evangelical Baptist Churches and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Republic of Moldova (ELCRM).
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This programme is implemented with the financial support of the Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the US State Department as part of the President's initiative to combat Trafficking in Persons.
At the 2003 UN General Assembly, President Bush announced a new $50 million initiative to assist women and children who have been trafficked. This initiative supplements existing U.S. Government efforts to combat trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution. Initiative projects, to be implemented by NGOs and U.S. agencies working abroad, will focus primarily on fighting sex slavery, the fastest growing category of trafficking, by increasing criminal prosecutions while rescuing, rehabilitating, and reintegrating trafficking victims. The goal is to build NGO capacity and to work in partnership with governments in each country.
In July 2004, the President announced the eight countries selected to receive $50 million in strategic antitrafficking in persons assistance: Brazil, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Moldova, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
In FY 2004, Congress supported the administration's proposal to fund the initiative using $25 million from existing funds. USAID programmed over $10 million dollars in five countries during FY 2004.
[source:
http://www.usaid.gov/about_usaid/presidential_initiative/init_othermech.html , as of February 22, 2008]
