Press releases

20 Jul 2020

Youth summer camp focused on combating human trafficking opens in Minsk

An archive photo

MINSK, 20 July (BelTA) - The fourth Youth Summer Camp “Learn. Act. Share” focused on combating human trafficking opened in Minsk on 20 July, Olga Borzenkova, Senior Public Information Assistant at the IOM Office in Belarus, told BelTA.

During the week, experts from UN agencies, public associations and private companies will share their knowledge on the problem of human trafficking and related issues with 18 active young Belarusians selected on a competitive basis. This year the event is held online due to the spread of coronavirus infection.

Olga Borzenkova noted that the camp traditionally takes place ahead of the World Anti-Trafficking Day (30 July). Following the camp, its participants are expected to come up with their own thematic mini-projects. Experts of the UN and competent public associations will provide them with necessary support.

Young people will join the graduates of the camp “Learn. Act. Share” of previous years. The team of activists who are involved in the efforts to counter human trafficking and solve related problems in the regions of Belarus is gradually increasing, and their activities are becoming more and more widespread. Thus, 32 out of 36 participants of the camp in 2018 and 2019 held dozens of awareness raising events in towns and oblast centers telling almost 4,000 peers about human trafficking and security measures.

“Like many other countries, Belarus faces this problem both as a country of origin and as a country of destination. It is of great significance to attract the youth who will be raising awareness of the problem in their regions and communities,” said Head of the Counter Trafficking Unit in IOM Belarus Tatiana Verigo. She is confident that with necessary knowledge young people would be able to act more actively and share information with peers.

The Summer Youth Camp “Learn. Act. Share” is part of the campaign “IOM-X: Stop Human Trafficking” launched in Belarus in 2015. Belarus was the first country in Eastern Europe to join this campaign.

The current event has been organized by the IOM Belarus and is part of the international technical assistance project “Strengthening of the National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking in the Republic of Belarus”. The camp is held jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Internal Affairs Ministry of Belarus and UN agencies represented in the country. Support is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belarusian Red Cross and private companies.



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