A three-month nationwide campaign has been launched by IOM and the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) among communities in Zimbabwe promoting
safe migration and child protection.

The campaign, which will be taken to 75 locations around the
country as a road show, aims to sensitise Zimbabweans on key
protection issues including the impact of irregular migration and
human trafficking on children and on child abuse.

A recent IOM survey of predominantly Zimbabwean migrants in
Limpopo province in neighbouring South Africa highlighted the
urgent need to provide greater protection to unaccompanied minors.
Representing between 10-15 per cent of the migrant population in
areas surveyed, minors were particularly vulnerable to physical and
gender-based violence and robbery. Nearly a third of unaccompanied
minors including children as young as six years old had experienced
violence along their journey to South Africa while the vast
majority of the children had travelled either alone or with
strangers encountered en route.

Although data on the exact numbers of Zimbabwean adults and
minors migrating irregularly are unknown, IOM has helped nearly
8,500 Zimbabwean unaccompanied minors deported from South Africa
and Botswana with essential humanitarian assistance at the
Beitbridge and Plumtree reception and support centres since May
2006 in partnership with government, UNICEF and Save the Children
partners.

The myth of greener pastures abroad coupled with socio-economic
pressures back home has put unbearable pressures and
responsibilities on both Zimbabwean minors and young adults to
migrate irregularly in order to find work and support dependents
back home. However, reality was different upon arrival with the
migrants often unable to find stable work, food, and adequate
shelter and sanitation facilities, leaving them in a precarious
situation.

"Zimbabwe's children continue to live in the midst of increased
vulnerability exacerbated by the social and economic breakdown in
the country," says UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe, Roeland
Monasch. "This campaign will continue to raise awareness on the
different forms of abuse with the intention of ensuring prevention
of abuse and the recovery of child victims."

Partnering with a local production company Theory X media and
with support from the UK's Department for International Development
(DFID), the European Union and the Zimbabwean government, the road
show will also tackle HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence and
promote safe migration practices through inter-active community
theatre performances, music, dance and films.

The road show complements an ongoing IOM multi-media Safe
Migration and HIV and AIDS awareness campaign that began in 2005
that targets Zimbabwean youth.

"IOM's safe migration campaign has been instrumental in
highlighting the risks and realities irregular migrants face in
their journey," says IOM Chief of Mission Marcelo Pisani. "The
ultimate aim of the campaign for individuals is to be able to make
informed and safe migration choices."

To find out more about Safe Migration Zimbabwe, go to: "paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.safemigrationzim.com" target=
"_blank">www.safemigrationzim.com.

For further information please contact:

Erin Foster

IOM Zimbabwe

Tel: +263 (0) 912 572 315

Email: "mailto:efoster@iom.int">efoster@iom.int

or

Tsitsi Singizi

UNICEF Zimbabwe

Tel: +263.4 703941/42

Mobile: +263.912 943 915

Email: "mailto:tsingizi@unicef.org">tsingizi@unicef.org