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BANGLADESH-Prevention and Protection of Victims of
Human Trafficking
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The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and
the IOM regional office in Dhaka are today
launching a three-year programme to prevent
human trafficking and protect and assist victims
of the crime with livelihood assistance and
better prosecute those who organize and benefit
from it.
The programme, which is funded by the Royal
Danish and Norwegian Embassies and which aims to
develop the capacity of the government and civil
society, will be carried out by 11 NGOs in 22
source districts in partnership with ten
ministries and various government agencies, with
the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs
acting as focal point.
Special attention will be paid to particularly
vulnerable groups such as single women,
adolescent girls and children. Awareness raising
activities will also target schoolchildren,
parents and teachers as well as local government
officials, law enforcement agencies and members
of the judiciary.
Human trafficking is an issue of concern for the
government of Bangladesh. Although they are no
reliable estimates as to the number of victims
of trafficking in Bangladesh, experts agree that
human trafficking is a serious issue that needs
to be tackled in a comprehensive way.
Women and girls are mostly trafficked for the
hard labour, sexual exploitation and domestic
work, while boys are exploited as beggars in
India, Pakistan and the Middle East in
particular.
For further information, please contact Zakia Hassan at IOM Dhaka,
Tel: +880 2 881 4604, Email: zkhassan@iom.int
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| ECUADOR - IOM
and WFP Join Forces to Help Communities on the
Northern Border |
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IOM and the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday signed a long-term
cooperation agreement, through the year 2010, to carry out projects along
Ecuador's northern border region, with a focus on the Federation of Awa
Indigenous Communities of Ecuador (FECAE).
The AWA, or "man", are an indigenous Ecuadorian community that live isolated
from the modern world and until now remain relatively unknown. They live in the
Ecuadorian highlands and in the northern border coastal area with Colombia.
Historically, they have defended their identity and today struggle to protect
their territory from lumber companies. Some of the AWA came from Colombia, where
some 14,000 are still living. In 1985 the government of Ecuador granted
citizenship to the AWA.
WFP will use funding from agreements with the private sector, such as GATORADE,
and FECAE, to work with IOM on infrastructure projects along the northern
border. For its part, IOM will provide technical support for the follow-up of
the projects and for an information database to assist in the implementation of
the projects. WFP will provide technical and operational experience and will
manage the financial resources.
The first projects to get underway under the IOM-WFP agreement are:
- Rehabilitation of three schools in San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas Province
- Health education materials for the health centre in Lita, Imbabura Province.
- Family and Community Health System: the rehabilitation of three health posts
and the construction of 10 additional posts.
Since 2001 IOM has been carrying out social and productive infrastructure
projects in communities along the northern border with funds from USAID and in
coordination with Ecuadorian government through its Northern Development Unit (UDENOR).
The aim of this IOM programme is to improve the health of residents and
Colombians who have crossed into Ecuador and to promote the development of the
communities.
There are 13,663 Colombian refugees and 44,303 who have applied for asylum in
Ecuador. Most of them live in extremely vulnerable conditions. Some 46 per cent
in the northern border region, where IOM programmes are strengthening the
communities.
So far, some 218 infrastructure projects benefiting more than 371,342 persons
have been built providing basic services, such as potable water, sanitation
systems, and roads to improve transportation.
For more information contact IOM Ecuador, Ana Guzman,
Tel: (593-2)-225-3948; Email: aguzman@oim.org.ec
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