IOM and partners have launched a new information campaign in
Moldova aimed at students wanting to participate in the highly
popular summer work and travel programme (SWT) in the United
States.

The campaign, funded by IOM, the US State Department, the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission
to Moldova and the cosmetics company Mary Kay Company, and called
"Know Your Rights!" will inform students of the potential risks
related to such a programme and on their rights.

The US State Department's SWT programme provides bona fide
foreign students an opportunity to get an insight into the life and
people of the United States through travel and temporary work for a
period up to four months during summer holidays. It was launched in
Moldova in 2002.

According to the US Embassy in Chisinau, more than 5,000
Moldovan students spent their summer holidays working in the US
last year with another 850 students already having received their
visas for summer 2008.

However, local SWT recruiting companies are taking advantage of
the high demand in Moldova for employment opportunities offered
within the programme.

In 2007, about 500 cases of violations and abuse were reported
informally among Moldovans including a much lower payment of salary
than promised, employers not existing upon arrival, accommodation
and/or working conditions not corresponding to what had been
agreed, and assistance upon arrival in the US not being
available.

To protect SWT participants, the campaign will establish formal
and informal mechanisms to report the abuses including the setting
up of an email address – "paragraph-link-no-underline" href="mailto:swt@mfa.md" target=
"_blank" title="">swt@mfa.md – administered by the
Department of Consular Affairs and the Moldovan embassy in
Washington where breaches of contract can be reported and where
students can get information on free legal counselling. The quality
of services provided by SWT recruitment companies will also be
monitored in order to gauge the need to create a regulatory
framework preventing future abuses.

The campaign, with partners including various government
ministries, the Centre for Combating Trafficking in Persons within
the Ministry of Interior, the National Employment Agency and
non-governmental organizations such as La Strada, and the Students
Alliance of Moldova, will also include a 24-hour hotline to provide
information.

In addition, IOM and partners will hold a series of information
sessions at universities across Moldova in the coming weeks.

For further information, please contact:

Rodica Okani

IOM Moldova

Tel:+373 22 232940 (ext. 131)

E-mail: "mailto:rokani@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">rokani@iom.int