OSCE promotes social entrepreneurship as tool to prevent human trafficking in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine, 29 September 2014 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator jointly with the Social Policy Ministry of Ukraine, today launched, in Kyiv, a project aiming to support social business models as a way to tackle the urgent challenges of trafficking in human beings.

The project is to strengthen capacity of civil society to deal with trafficking problem, but at the same time it will provide new opportunities for victims of this crime and those persons that are likely to be exploited by traffickers.    

“The lack of tangible economic opportunities is a serious factor that diminishes the positive influence of all other means used to combat human trafficking. People go looking for better chances to improve their well-being either abroad or in their home country, and this makes them vulnerable to illegal exploitation”, said Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

This project will provide support to civil society organisations in launching social businesses that should turn to a source of revenues to provide for their anti-trafficking activities. At the same time, the launched enterprises will provide temporary jobs for actual or potential victims of exploitation as an important step to obtain qualification and experience needed to improve their position on the labour market.

Ambassador Vaidotas Verba, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, said: “While it is not possible for us to significantly improve the whole economic situation in general, this project is an important response we take to help Ukraine bring the number of victims of trafficking down.”

Civil society organisations with experience of dealing with the problems of human trafficking are invited to submit their social business ideas for an open competition (see more at //www.osce.org/ukraine/procurement). Authors of the best proposals will receive intensive training and coaching to refine their business plans. Four regions will then be selected to pilot the most viable models, with legal, financial and expert support available throughout. The piloting will end with development of recommendations for necessary changes in legislation and regulatory practices to create favourable conditions for social business across Ukraine.  

The Project is implemented with financial support from the governments of Canada and Norway, and in close cooperation with the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.