On 18 October 2019, the EU and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) marked the 13thEU Anti-Trafficking Day in Georgia by holding a joint event in Telavi.
In the capital of the eastern region of Kakheti, the EU and IOM joined forces with local governmental and non-governmental partners to raise awareness on trafficking in human beings, which is one of the world's most serious transnational crimes and one of the most complex human rights challenges of our time. Messages were shared to emphasize the urgency to deal with this ugly phenomenon in a resolute and well-coordinated inter-disciplinary fashion.
The event started with a workshop with local stakeholders to discuss various forms of trafficking in human beings, such as cases of trafficking in children in labour and sexual exploitation that have recently surfaced. The second part of the event marked the opening of the outdoor exhibition “Invisible in Plain Sight” at Telavi’s central square. “The Invisible in Plain Sight” campaign is implemented by IOM jointly with the State Fund for Protection and Assistance of (Statutory) Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. It is an art-installation, presenting real stories of trafficking victims as posted on wooden figures of women, men and children. The campaign was first introduced by IOM in Ukraine in 2014, afterwards extended to Belarus and Moldova and made its debut in Georgia in 2018.
Over the past decade, the EU and IOM have been supporting the Government of Georgia in growing capacities to successfully prosecute traffickers, protect and assist victims of trafficking and prevent the crime from happening in the first place. Thanks to consistent EU support this capacity building on counter-trafficking action will continue in the years to come.
For further information contact:
- Tamriko Mikadze, Press and Information Officer, Delegation of the European Union, Tamriko.Mikadze@eeas.europa.eu
- Ana Kakushadze, Visibility and Communications Officer, IOM, akakushadze@iom.int
Please also visit the IOM websites www.informedmigration.geand its Facebook page SBMMG.
