A joint United Nations programme to counter human trafficking in
Zambia which involves IOM, UNICEF and the International Labour
Organization (ILO) has been boosted by Euros 1.6 million funding
from the European Commission.

The three-year programme is a key part of a national effort to
create awareness of the issue in the southern African country and
will strengthen the ability of government and non-government
agencies to detect and respond to human trafficking in addition to
tackling its root causes.

IOM, ILO and UNICEF will focus on preventing human trafficking
through mass communication, the training of private and public
sector officials on the implementation of anti-trafficking
legislation and working with the Zambian police to revise their
crime reporting and data management systems.

A 2007 ILO study on the nature and extent of child trafficking
in Zambia showed that high poverty and unemployment levels have
created an environment where victims are easily duped by human
traffickers.

The study notes that the internal trafficking of children,
mainly from poor households, for domestic labour or sexual
exploitation appears to be the most prevalent form of human
trafficking in Zambia. Girls and children without access to
education are at a greater risk of being trafficked than
others.

In response, the Zambian government has adopted a new national
policy that aims to eradicate human trafficking in the country
through combined measures to raise awareness of the issue and to
stamp out the root causes while ensuring victims are protected and
perpetrators are prosecuted.

The enactment of a comprehensive anti-trafficking law that
prescribes stiff penalties for human traffickers will help
facilitate their prosecution.

For further information, please contact:

Katy Barwise

IOM Zambia

Tel: +260 (0) 211 254 055

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

or

Annie Lane

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