IOM Costa Rica this week launched Historias de sobrevivencia,
(Survival Stories), a publication that compiles real-life stories
of Central American and Dominican women victims of human
trafficking.

Ten stories where chosen for this publication from 46 in-depth
interviews with women, who had been victims of sexual exploitation,
forced labour, and/or domestic servitude. These testimonies are
drawn from 14 national studies on human trafficking conducted by
IOM in Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. 

The new publication focuses on the strengths and survival
strategies developed by women victims of trafficking in the region
to cope with the inhumane and extremely violent conditions of
trafficking.  It also reveals the many times re-victimizing
conditions, which they face when recovering from their ordeal
because of a lack of information, intolerance and/or corruption on
the part of the authorities, as well as the lack of understanding
of their families, the communities and society as a whole.

"Historias de sobrevivencia aims to raise public awareness on
the traumatic experiences endured by victims of human trafficking,"
explains Ana Hidalgo, IOM's Regional Counter Trafficking
expert.  

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Link alt="" border="0" height="12" hspace="0" src=
"/jahia/webdav/site/myjahiasite/shared/shared/mainsite/graphics/interface/icons_buttons/blue_link_box.gif"> "http://www.oim.or.cr" target="_blank" title="">Historias de
sobreviviencia and the IOM studies

Costa Rica is a country of origin, transit and destination for
human trafficking.  There is evidence of Costa Rican nationals
being trafficked outside of the region and of foreigners from as
far away as Romania being brought into the country as victims of
trafficking.  Internal trafficking has also been
evidenced.

At this week's launch, four Costa Rican actresses read extracts
from the book. This was followed by a roundtable on migration,
combating human trafficking, and gender issues to further public
understanding of human trafficking.

The new publication is part of IOM's on-going Counter
Trafficking Programme and initiatives developed in the context of
the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) with funding from the
United States Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM).

Historias de sobreviviencia and the IOM studies are available at
"http://www.oim.or.cr" target="_blank" title=
"">www.oim.or.cr

For more information, please contact:

Ana Beatriz Fernández

IOM Costa Rica

Tel: +506. 222. 15348, ext. 136

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