OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine holds summer camps for children at risk of being trafficked

KHERSON, Ukraine, 29 June 2008 - The first summer camp for Ukrainian children at risk of being trafficked or forced to work on the street ended in the city of Kherson today.

The week-long initiative, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and International Labour Organization's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (ILO-IPEC), brought together 50 children between the ages of 12 and 17 for life-skills training, psycho-social counselling, career guidance and recreational activities.

"Children, especially those at orphanages, are extremely vulnerable to human trafficking," said Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. "Our project will provide these children not only with counselling on trafficking-related issues, but with the skills necessary to ensure their smooth transition into post-institutional life."

"Currently there are over 100,000 children in Ukrainian orphanages," said Tetyana Minenko, National Programme Manager for the ILO-IPEC in Ukraine. "Many of these vulnerable children lack life skills, and feel apathetic and pessimistic about their prospects on the labour market. This puts them at a high risk of being trafficked or forced into child labour."

The summer camp is part of a large-scale, direct action programme implemented by the OSCE Project Coordinator and ILO-IPEC that began at the end of May and concludes in November.

Under the programme, some 700 children from Donetsk and Kherson regions will receive counselling on issues including human trafficking, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS and risks of early employment. In addition, they will take part in training sessions to develop teamwork as well as conflict prevention and resolution skills. Special focus will be put on looking for jobs, writing CVs and handling job interviews.

The OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings calls for taking measures to reach vulnerable groups and to raise their awareness about trafficking.