OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine supports anti-trafficking festival

KYIV, 2 October 2006 - The second annual anti-trafficking festival took place this weekend in several regions of Ukraine, with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

"This is a very important event aimed at drawing the attention of the younger generation, as well as the general public and policy makers, to the prevention of trafficking of children," said Ambassador James Schumaker, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

"I hope the festival will raise public awareness of human trafficking issues. The idea for such a festival was developed through close co-operation between governmental institutions, international and non-governmental organizations."

The festival programme featured presentations on human trafficking and HIV/AIDS prevention staged by the Gender Theatre of the Ukrainian NGO School of Equal Opportunities. Ukrainian music bands and singers also performed on the central squares of Kyiv, Kherson, Lviv, Luhansk, Odessa, Vinnytsa, and Zhytomyr.

Volunteers from state social services and NGOs distributed informational materials and gathered signatures in support of activities to combat the trafficking of children.