IOM's toll free 157 Counter Trafficking Hotline will feature
prominently in a new 25-part TV drama produced by Turkish TV
channel ATV.

This fast-paced drama, which is based on testimonies of former
victims of trafficking, tells the story of two sisters from Moldova
who are caught in a web of deceit and sexual exploitation in Turkey
at the hands of unscrupulous traffickers.

The series, which stars Italian actress Lavinia Longhi, will be
launched at prime time on February 14th. It aims to raise awareness
of the issue of human trafficking and to further promote a
government-sponsored, IOM-run 157 hotline, which to date has helped
to rescue 166 trafficked individuals.

"Before I took part in this series, I wasn't aware that
trafficking is such a big problem. It is a global and horrible fact
and we are not sufficiently aware of it. This problem needs to be
talked about and we need to combat it. I hope this serial will
raise awareness of trafficking and the 157 Helpline, and I am very
happy to be part of it," said Ms. Longhi.

"For more than a year now, IOM has closely worked with ATV
script-writers to help them understand why human trafficking occurs
and what should be done to stop it from happening,"says Meera
Sethi, IOM's Chief of Mission in Turkey. "By advertising IOM's
telephone hotline, the series also sends a message of hope for
trafficked individuals who are desperate to break the cycle of
violence and exploitation."

Turkey remains a major country of destination for vulnerable
individuals from Moldova and other CIS states, which continue to
suffer from slower per capita growth and lower incomes.

Since 2005, IOM Turkey has worked with government and civil
society partners to successfully carry out more than 15 projects to
prevent human trafficking and provide assistance to victims of
trafficking. The office has also provided safe voluntary return
assistance to more than 800 victims of trafficking.

According to the US State Department's 2011 Trafficking in
Persons Report, Zambia is a source, transit and destination country
for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex
trafficking.

Zambia enacted its first anti human trafficking legislation in
2008 and has since demonstrated increased anti- trafficking law
enforcement efforts by convicting a trafficking offender and by
investigating and prosecuting additional suspected trafficking
cases.

For further information, please contact:

Selin Arslan

IOM Ankara

Tel: +90533-6803983

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