IOM Lisbon has launched two public service announcements (PSAs) in
Portugal to mark the first annual European Day on Anti-Trafficking.

The TV spots, which were produced by students in broadcast
journalism as part of a European Commission EQUAL funded
counter-trafficking programme, are being shown on main public and
private Portuguese channels (RTP, MTV Portugal, TV SIC and
TVI).

The PSAs are also being featured on large outdoors and indoor
screens in high visibility places such as petrol stations and
shopping centres in Lisbon.  

One of the PSAs features a supermarket where women showing signs
of physical violence are being sold like merchandise with customers
in the background displaying different attitudes and feelings
(indifference, disgust, shame, but also a willingness to help). The
other PSA shows a black screen featuring the soundtrack of a
telephone conversation between two men who appear to be carrying
out a commercial transaction but in reality are trafficking in
women.         

The awareness material is also featured in some 70 cinemas
throughout the country and on the Project CAIM (Cooperation,
Action, Research; World Vision) website "paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.caim.com.pt/">http://www.caim.com.pt.

This project, which is managed by the Portuguese Commission for
Gender Equality in which IOM Lisbon is an active partner, aims to
create an institutional and NGO partnership to better fight human
trafficking in Portugal.

The launch of the annual European Day on Anti-Trafficking is
another important step in the European Commission's long-standing
commitment on preventing and fighting trafficking in human beings.
The Day aims at raising awareness about the phenomenon that is a
gross violation of human rights.

The title of this year's event, "Trafficking in Human Beings:
Time for Action", highlights the clear need for the implementation
of stronger measures to prevent and combat trafficking and to
protect victims of trafficking at the national, European and
international level. 

For further information, please call:

Monica Goracci

IOM Lisbon

Tel +351 21 32 42 940

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