As part of the UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking
(UN.GIFT), a two-day expert group meeting hosted by IOM in
collaboration with UNODC and ILO aimed at proposing innovative
approaches for the study of human trafficking, begins today in
Cairo.

The event will gather about 20 prominent researchers from across
the world to assess the current state of trafficking research and
propose a set of tools and guidelines to increase research
capacities, especially in poorer countries. The meeting also aims
at establishing an interdisciplinary UN.GIFT Research Forum on
Human Trafficking.

The research initiative has been initiated in response to the
gaps and weaknesses in current research on trafficking highlighted
by an IOM survey in 2005, "Data and Research on Human Trafficking:
A Global Survey". These included an over-emphasis on trafficking in
women for sexual exploitation, too few studies focusing on
trafficking for labour exploitation and a lack of research on
trafficking of boys and men.

Broadening the knowledge base of data, facts and research on
trafficking is one of the main goals of UN.GIFT which was launched
a year ago by four UN agencies, the OSCE and IOM. The findings of
the Cairo meeting will be presented at an UN.GIFT forum in Vienna
being held on 13-15 February.

For more information, please contact:

Frank Laczko

IOM Geneva

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

or

Visit "http://www.ungift.org" target="_blank" title=
"">www.ungift.org