IOM, in cooperation with the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs
(MWA), have started work on a shelter specifically designed for
child victims of trafficking, the first of its kind in Afghanistan.

The Italian-funded initiative is expected to open in September
2007 and will provide trafficked children, mostly girls under the
age of 18, with comprehensive recovery and reintegration
assistance, including board and lodging, health assessment,
psychological counselling, education and vocational training.

The shelter will be built on land provided by the MWA and will
be able to accommodate up to 40 victims of trafficking at any one
time.

The project follows an existing IOM Afghanistan counter
trafficking programme which has already helped over 100 victims
since January 2006.

"The lack of protection for child victims of trafficking is a
major concern in Afghanistan. This project, which will bring
together government, UN and NGO partners, will be a first step in
meeting that need," says Lorena Lando, IOM's deputy chief of
mission in Kabul.

Although accurate data on human trafficking in Afghanistan is
limited, IOM research suggests widespread trafficking of women and
girls, notably in the form of abductions for forced marriage,
forced prostitution and domestic servitude.

This month will also see the launch of an IOM literacy campaign
using radio to target women in remote areas in the western province
of Badghis. This Spanish-funded project seeks to stabilize
communities through improved education for girls, mitigating one of
the root causes for human trafficking.

For further information, please contact:

Lorena Lando

IOM Kabul

Tel. +93 (0) 700 144 956

E-mail: llando@iom.int

Katsui Kaya

Tel. +93 (0) 700 185 961

E-mail: kkaya@iom.int