OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and partners campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking risks

To mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July 2020, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine together with Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the International Organisation for Migration’s Mission in Ukraine and the NGO A21 organized an open-air exhibition entitled “Expectations vs Reality” in Kyiv.   

The exhibition presents nine stories of people who suffered from various forms of human trafficking, so that visitors can learn more about the nature and impact of this crime. It will be on display for two weeks in the National Taras Shevchenko Park in Kyiv, before travelling across the country and being exhibited in the country’s 17 regional centres by mid-December.

The campaign also includes the launching of thematic social media pages “Work Safe” on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/work.safe.ua/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/work_safe_ua/), which will be used to share stories about human trafficking and its victims, as well as safety guidance that could help people avoid the traps used by traffickers. It will also provide advice on where and how victims can get assistance. Since mid-July, when the pages were launched, they have already reached over 200,000 web users in Ukraine.

Separately, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator has developed a web-based quiz for people planning to travel for work abroad (https://quiz.cthb.in.ua/). It prompts people to respond to practical questions in situations simulating risks of trafficking, and thus learn the rules for safe employment.     

“Many international organizations, including the OSCE, have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences are making more and more people vulnerable to trafficking. People lose their jobs in quarantine, or their salaries decline, so they are more likely to respond to risky offers that they would otherwise decline,” said Henrik Villadsen, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, as he opened the exhibition in Kyiv. “We cannot combat this type of criminal activity by enhancing law enforcement alone. People need to know how to minimize risks, and what to do in case they are in a situation of trafficking.”

In April this year, the Co-ordinator also produced and distributed awareness-raising posters to regional social service providers, which warn of how the impact of the pandemic can make people vulnerable to human trafficking, but also to cybercrime and increased domestic violence.

This awareness-raising campaign is part of project implemented by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada and the United States Mission to the OSCE.