IOM and the Afghan Ministry of Hajj and Endowment are today holding
a first-ever roundtable with religious leaders to discuss human
trafficking in Afghanistan in the context of Islam.

"Given the significant role that religious leaders play in
communities and the country as a whole, an effective
counter-trafficking programme requires their cooperation,
particularly in rural areas," says IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission
Robbie Thomson.

A total of 40 clerics from Kabul and 20 other provinces will
take part in today's event in Kabul, which follows the introduction
of Afghanistan's first counter-trafficking law last week.

Roundtable participants will be encouraged to raise awareness of
human trafficking issues among vulnerable groups in their
respective communities through discussion and prayer.

IOM is currently also implementing a nationwide
counter-trafficking information campaign targeting schoolchildren
through teacher training. In the past year the project has trained
35 teachers as master trainers. These have helped to train a
further 1,500 teachers, disseminating trafficking information to
some 200,000 students in every Afghan province.

Last week Afghanistan enacted new counter-trafficking
legislation designed to crack down on traffickers. Presidential
Decree Number 52 on Combating Kidnapping and Human Trafficking
entered into force on 14 July.    

IOM provided technical assistance in drafting the new law as
part of a counter-trafficking capacity building programme for
Afghan law enforcement agencies funded by the US Department of
State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP)
and Italy.

"Counter-trafficking law enforcement used to have legislative
constraints, but with the passing of the new law, trafficking in
persons is legally defined and recognized as a distinct crime for
the first time in Afghan history," says Thomson. 

Afghanistan faces serious problems as a country of origin,
transit and destination for human trafficking. But national
counter-trafficking efforts have up to now been very limited in
terms of prevention, protection of victims and prosecution of
traffickers.

IOM now plans to work with the Afghan government and other
partners to disseminate information about the new law and create a
momentum among stakeholders to expand counter-trafficking
initiatives.

In Afghanistan, IOM works closely with government counterparts,
in line with the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS),
focusing on technical cooperation and capacity building.

IOM programmes also provide emergency relief to vulnerable
displaced families, facilitate long-term return and reintegration
to and within Afghanistan, stabilize migrant communities for
sustainable development in the context of long periods of mass
population displacement, and strengthen the capacity of Afghan
government institutions to manage migration.

For further information, please contact:

Nigina Mamadjonova

IOM Kabul

Tel + 93 (0) 700 066041

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

or

Katsui Kaya

Tel +93 (0) 700 18596

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