The International Organization for Migration is organizing from 6th
to 17th of February 2011, four awareness-raising workshops for
members of the Bar association in Syria. This activity is being
organized in cooperation with Syrian Arab Red Crescent and Syrian
Bar Association.

The workshops will take place in four governorates, Damascus,
Aleppo, Homs and Lattakia. The main objective of these workshops is
capacity building among lawyers and law practitioners on combating
trafficking in persons, as well as to deepen the understanding of
the legislative decree No.3/2010 to combat trafficking in persons
in Syria through presenting the purpose behind the law and the
elements of trafficking crimes.

In January 2011, the Syrian President Dr. Bashar Al Assad issued
Law No.3 which aims to prevent and combat trafficking in persons,
protect victims and prevent this crime.

This activity is one component among several other activities,
of the € 1.5 million European Union (EU)-funded IOM project
"Direct Assistance to Iraqi Female Headed Families and Victims of
Trafficking in Syria".  Eighteen awareness-raising workshops
took place in 14 governorates in spring 2010 for vulnerable Iraqi
women in cooperation with Syrian Arab Red Crescent which aimed at
disseminating information about the crime of trafficking in persons
and discussing the new Decree issued in regard to trafficking
crimes.

Other activities of the project include providing vocational
training for the most vulnerable Iraqi groups, distribution of
emergency kits to reduce vulnerability, and the provision of
medical assistance and a shelter for identified victims of
trafficking. Finally, the EU-funded project supported voluntary
return and reintegration services.

The overall aim of this project is to provide comprehensive
assistance and protection to vulnerable Iraqi female-headed
families and victims of trafficking in Syria.

For more information please contact:

Elna Sondergaard

Project coordinator, IOM Damascus

Tel: 6121370, Ext. 306

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

Kinda Katranji

Delegation of the European Union to Syria

Tel: +963-11-332 7640, Ext. 149

E-mail "mailto:kinda.katranji@ec.europa.eu">kinda.katranji@ec.europa.eu