The IOM offices in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua have
launched a regional public information campaign aimed at fighting
human trafficking in Central America and Mexico.

With the campaign slogan, "No More Human Trafficking" or "No
más trata de personas", IOM in coordination with National
Counter-trafficking coalitions, is advertising the hotline numbers
in each country (Guatemala 1552; El Salvador 911; Nicaragua 133;
and Costa Rica 911) and raising awareness amongst potential victims
and the general population on the dangers of human trafficking for
men and women, either for labour or sexual exploitation.

The campaign also includes radio and TV spots, a radio soap
opera, posters and other materials which will be prominently
displayed in public places and distributed to thousands of persons
in each country.

Central America and Mexico are considered countries of origin,
transit and /or destination for human trafficking, some all three
at the same time.

A series of 14 national studies carried out by IOM in Costa
Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Panama, confirmed the need for improved legislation
as the major hurdles to combat human trafficking.

Some of the main findings of the IOM research include:

• Lack of awareness amongst local prosecutors who do not
  recognize human trafficking as an international organized
  crime;
• Varying definitions in the penal codes of what constitutes
  human trafficking;
• Strong limitations in terms of human and financial resources,
  including access to computers and transportation in order to
  investigate crimes; and
• Lack of resources for witness and victim protection
  programmes.

"In Nicaragua, IOM is fortunate to have the support of the
National Counter-Trafficking Coalition, which is made up of some
130 organizations and institutions," says Berta Fernandez, IOM
Chief of Mission in Nicaragua. "As a result, IOM and its partners
have seen a marked improvement in the psychological well-being of
the victims that have benefited from our assistance
programme." 

Nicaragua is a country of origin for women and children
trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labour.  Women
and young girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation within the
country and outside its borders primarily to Guatemala and El
Salvador, and in smaller numbers to Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras,
Venezuela, Spain, and the United States.  Children are
trafficked within the country for forced labour in construction,
agriculture, fishing, and domestic servitude.

The campaign will be launched in the coming weeks in Mexico,
Honduras and Panama.

The new IOM regional information campaign has received the
backing of the countries of the Regional Conference on Migration
(RCM) and is funded by the US Department of State Bureau of
Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).

For more information, please contact:

Ana Beatriz Fernández

IOM Costa Rica

Tel: +506-2221-5348

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

Elisabeth Ramírez

IOM El Salvador

Tel: +503.22646590

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

Brenda de Trinidad

IOM Nicaragua

Tel: +505 278 95 69

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