OSCE Office supports anti-trafficking week in Azerbaijan

BAKU, 5 May 2011 – The OSCE Office in Baku together with several partners today announced the start of a week-long campaign to fight human trafficking.

The campaign includes TV and radio programmes, public services announcements, booklets and posters. Other events during the week include roundtable discussions about human trafficking and a concert.

The OSCE Office in Baku is implementing the campaign together with the Interior Ministry, the Azerbaijan Migration Centre, the Clean World Public Union, the International Organisation for Migration and the International Labour Organization.

“This anti-trafficking campaign will enable the government and its partners to mobilize efforts to raise public awareness about trafficking,” said Melissa Stone, Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Baku. “By raising public awareness, the campaign can warn would-be victims of the practices and techniques used by traffickers and ultimately prevent trafficking. It also serves to encourage the government to increase its assistance to and protection of trafficking victims.”

The OSCE Office in Baku in 2010 supported a similar campaign organized by all participating partner organizations. By the end of that campaign, Azerbaijan's anti-trafficking hotline number had received around 500 calls reporting potential cases, up from the 100-150 calls usually received in a week.