The IOM office in Damascus is organising a series of workshops to
raise awareness of the dangers of human trafficking among
vulnerable single Iraqi women and female-headed households and
Syrian victims of trafficking.

The 20 workshops, which will take place in all the 14 Syrian
governorates, will run through 30 June 2010.

They will seek to identify groups of vulnerable Iraqi women,
single, separated or widowed, and their children and will provide
them with humanitarian assistance to reduce their vulnerability to
trafficking and exploitation.

The programme will also seek to refer vulnerable individuals to
partner NGOs and will provide them with financial support and
business training.

This initiative, part of a € 1,481,500 European Union
funded project, is carried out in cooperation with the Syrian
Ministry of Culture and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Up to 6,000 Iraqi individuals, including single mothers with
their children will be assisted through these activities while
identified victims of trafficking are to be hosted by the
shelters.

IOM has embarked on an array of activities after the issuance of
the legislative decree No. 03/2010, which has been decreed on 11
January 2010 to combat Trafficking in Human Beings in Syria.

For further information, please contact:

Sonia Khoury

IOM Damascus

Tel: + 963 11 6121370 / 75 Ext. 305

E-mail: "mailto:skhoury@iom.int">skhoury@iom.int