OSCE, local partners organize Moldova’s first anti-human trafficking hackathon
During a hackathon co-organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 6 to 8 November 2020, thirty-six young women and men from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River spent 72 hours designing innovative tech-based solutions to prevent and combat human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children in Moldova.
The hackathon was the result of a partnership between the OSCE Mission and a local NGO “Generația NIKA” and sought to raise awareness among youth about the issue of trafficking.
“The young people engaged in this event play a very important role in generating long-term change. Your efforts and the solutions you produce may have real implications in how Moldova as a society tackles trafficking in human beings and child sexual exploitation,” said Antti Karttunen, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission, during the opening ceremony.
During the hackathon, renowned experts in IT, business and start-ups as well as anti-trafficking experts from Moldova provided mentorship to the participants. Working in teams of five, young people developed practical applications to help upgrade Moldova’s approach in the prevention and prosecution of human trafficking and exploitation, as well as protection of victims and survivors.
The winning solutions were a web extension CoParent, which analyses the content accessed by children online, an online platform 4safe verifying the security of job offers for individuals seeking employment abroad and an onLife game, which notifies teenagers about the dangers of sexting and bullying.
According to a 2020 report by the Public Association International Centre “La Strada”, the phenomenon of human trafficking in Moldova is adapting to new social and technological realities. Manipulation techniques are shifting online. It requires robust information campaigns to address the risks of trafficking and labour exploitation among vulnerable groups, says the report. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, in 2019, 341 people were victims of human trafficking in the country.
The Anti-Trafficking Hackathon was organized online in the context of the European Day to fight Trafficking in Human Beings. The prevention and combating trafficking in human beings and domestic violence, as well as protection of children against online sexual abuse are topics of the sub-Working Group on Human Rights and the Social Protection Working Group, as part of the Transdniestrian settlement process.