A five-day intensive Training of Trainers course to combat human
trafficking in persons, particularly children, will get underway
this week in Afghanistan.

The training, which begins on 30 March, will target 20 school
teachers from ten different provinces, as well as representatives
from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and
local NGOs.

Provinces represented will include Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman,
Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Khost and
Kunar. 

As well as learning how to lead training sessions effectively,
participants will focus on more specific issues such as the nature
of human trafficking and various forms of exploitation associated
with labour migration.

They will also be expected to formulate an awareness-raising
plan of action for their respective provinces, targeting a minimum
of 15 junior high or high schools in each province to reach some
2,250 teachers nationwide. 

According to IOM research, human trafficking, particularly of
women and girls, is widespread in Afghanistan, notably for forced
marriage, prostitution and domestic servitude.

The Organization is also working on a Spanish funded programme
seeking to stabilize communities through improved education for
girls and which earlier this month, saw the launch of a literacy
campaign using radio as a medium.

Early in March, IOM also began work on a shelter specifically
designed for child victims of trafficking, the first of its kind in
Afghanistan, in cooperation with the Afghan Ministry of Women's
Affairs (MWA).

The Italian-funded initiative is expected to open in September
2007 and will provide up to 40 trafficked children at a time,
mostly girls under the age of 18, with comprehensive recovery and
reintegration assistance, including board and lodging, health
assessment, psychological counselling, education and vocational
training.

For further information, please contact:

Nigina Mamadjonova

IOM Kabul

Project Manager

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

Katsui Kaya

IOM Kabul

Tel. +93 (0) 700 185 961

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