A festival showcasing the varied artistic talents of children in
social protection in Moldova on 25 October will mark the end of a
month-long focus on efforts to fight human trafficking.

The festival, "Taking Small Steps Towards the Future", organized
in partnership between the Ministry of Social Protection, Family
and Child, IOM, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
supported by the private sector, is aimed at raising awareness of
the impact of human trafficking on children, on protecting
children's rights as well as giving the children themselves a
platform for their talents in order to encourage their further
development and social integration.

The children involved in the festival are all currently
receiving assistance from governmental and non-governmental child
social protection centres and organizations specializing on
countering human trafficking. Orphans, children from deprived
backgrounds, children left behind by parents who have migrated
abroad as well as those in residential institutions, all represent
a group particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.

Moldova has high rates of emigration. According to a recent
survey, about 25 per cent of the labour force (as many as 450,000
people) was estimated to be living abroad in 2007 with 35,000 of
the school-age children having both parents abroad and 75,000
children with one parent abroad.

Those children with both parents abroad usually end up with a
relative, placed in a residential institution or day care centres
and in the worst case, can even end up living on their own. For all
of them, there are new responsibilities and duties and the
separation usually leads to psychological and emotional distress
unalleviated by the presents that parents might send.

The month-long focus on human trafficking issues has included 10
social theatre performances about human trafficking played by young
volunteers; a series of trainings for border guards in eight major
border crossings involving guards from neighbouring countries too;
trainings for social teachers and social workers on preventing
children from being trafficked and how to help those that were, as
well as training on how to identify victims of trafficking.

The events during the month were organized by various government
bodies, civil society and international organizations including
IOM.

For further information, please contact:

Tatiana Jardan

IOM Moldova

Tel: +373 22 232940 (ext. 119)

E-mail: "mailto:tjardan@iom.int">tjardan@iom.int