Costa Rica  - IOM Costa Rica and its partner NGO Voces Nuestras this week launched a new radio soap opera El Silencio Duele (Silence Hurts) to raise awareness of human trafficking and promote increased reporting to law enforcement in the Mesoamerica region.

The nine-episode radio program, based on true stories from throughout the region, will air in some 60 radio stations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.

Young women who dreamt of a better life; men who dared to leave their country in search of better economic opportunities to support their families; and mothers in search of their sons and daughters who decided to migrate and were never heard from again are some of the characters brought to life in El Silencio duele.

Costa Rica is a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking.  Since 2010 the authorities have confirmed 97 reported cases of human trafficking; 58.7 per cent for forced labour, including in domestic service, and the fishing and construction sectors; and 35 per cent for commercial sexual exploitation.

IOM Counter Trafficking Coordinator Ana Hidalgo explained: “These true stories will raise awareness about human trafficking and help us to combat it, while hopefully empowering victims to come forward and report these crimes to the authorities.”  

Maritza Salgado, Director of Voces Nuestras added: “These radio dramas have great impact on the population, although many media outlets do not commit resources to programming like this which is both educational and entertaining.”

Previous productions by Voces Nuestras have received international prizes and have been transmitted in more than 200 radio stations throughout Latin America.

In Costa Rica, the first station to air El Silencio Duele is Radio Actual 107.1 FM, which launched the program yesterday (18/4.)

The series is available free of charge to all radio stations and organizations working on counter trafficking, human rights and other related issues.

The initiative is funded by the US Department of State Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM) and the German aid agency Bread for the World.

To hear episodes of El Silencio Duele, please go to:   http://snd.sc/11mpdCe or  http://snd.sc/11mqFo7

For more information, please contact 

Carolina Urcuyo
IOM Costa Rica
Tel: +506 2212 5308
Email: curcuyo@iom.int