Peru - To improve awareness of human trafficking among Peruvian young people and the general public, IOM in Peru and financial services company SURA Peru, have joined forces to combat the problem. Some 2,241 victims of trafficking, mostly young women, have been identified in Peru over the past five years – 782 of them in 2014.

As part of the programme, IOM and SURA hosted an event in October: “Art – a Bridge to Prevent Human Trafficking’’ to present Lita’s Nightmare, a play that has already been staged in several schools in the Lima metropolitan area to alert young people to human trafficking.

“We have presented Lita’s Nightmare in six schools and other venues to over 1,800 students and the general public. Our goal is to reach 10,000 students in the course of next year,” said IOM Peru Chief of Mission José Ivan Dávalos.

Jorge Ramos, SURA Managing Director in Peru said: “We are all part of the struggle to defend human rights and dignity. We are therefore working hand in hand with IOM to fight against this crime, which is unfortunately often still unrecognized in our country.”

At the same event, Karina Calmet, a famous Peruvian actress and athlete, was appointed as IOM Peru Goodwill Ambassador for the fight against human trafficking.

“All human beings are born free; we are entitled to dignity and to have dreams. We need to fight against this form of slavery where people are treated as commodities,” she said, noting that, despite some visibility on TV, trafficking in Peru often remains invisible behind closed doors.

For further information please contact Inés Calderon at IOM Peru, Tel: +511 633 0000 - Email: icalderon@iom.int