South African musical stars will be taking to the stage in Newtown,
Johannesburg to play their part in raising awareness of human
trafficking on Saturday, 11 October 2008.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Concert will be a free open-air
event rounding up a series of activities as part of the country's
annual Human Trafficking Awareness Week, which kicked off on 5
October. Thrilling performances are expected from artists such as
MXO, Peggy, Sliq Angel, Wax and Ras, while top DJs such as Naked
and Hudson will spin the decks for the audience.

The week-long event this year has seen the participation of
civil society, religious bodies, government departments and
international organizations engaging in several activities such as
workshops, media campaigns and exhibitions to raise awareness of
the crime nationwide.

METRO FM, South Africa's largest urban radio station, has been
instrumental in the Week, partnering with IOM to produce and air
public service announcements (PSAs) that encourage people to find
out more about human trafficking and report suspected cases on
IOM's toll-free helpline: 0800 555 999.

"Children and women are the most vulnerable to this heinous
crime," says Metro FM Station Manager, Matona Sakupwanya. "METRO FM
has partnered with IOM in order to demystify human trafficking and
enable our listeners to understand the problem, decrease their
vulnerability, and prevent it from spreading."

"Human trafficking is a problem that cannot be looked at in
isolation. This week demonstrates what can be achieved when
government, civil society, international organizations and the
commercial sector work together towards the achievement of a common
goal," explains Malebo Kotu-Rammopo, of the National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA), one of the key contributors to the Week.

"By continuing to raise awareness of human trafficking through
events such as these, we hope that other sectors of the South
African community will come forward to lend their support. The more
involvement there is in countering human trafficking, the more we
are likely to succeed," says IOM's Regional Representative for
Southern Africa, Hans-Petter Boe.

In June 2007, South Africa's Human Trafficking Awareness Week
was named a "Best Global Practice to Combat Trafficking" by the US
Department of State in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP)
Report.

For more information, please contact:

Nde Ndifonka

IOM Pretoria

Tel.: +27 71 689 9966

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

or

METRO FM

Tel.: 011 714 3485

E-mail: "mailto:matona@metrofm.co.za">matona@metrofm.co.za 

or

NPA

Tel.: 012 8456153

E-mail:  "mailto:tip-pcu@npa.gov.za">tip-pcu@npa.gov.za