IOM Azerbaijan Carries Out a Public Information Campaign Dedicated to the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
IOM Azerbaijan is currently conducting a public information campaign during the months of July and August to raise awareness about human trafficking.
The awareness-raising campaign carried out within the “Combatting Trafficking in Persons Activity” Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) targets both vulnerable groups and the general public in Azerbaijan in the sense that not only those at immediate risk of trafficking will be targeted with direct preventative messages, but also the general population.
Promotional posters and videos in Azerbaijani and English languages were developed with the aim to raise public awareness about trafficking, prevent vulnerable persons from becoming victims of trafficking, and encourage people to report concerns to the specialized police department by advertising the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Helpline number 152.
The awareness campaign is promoted on the Mission’s social media pages and the message about the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is spread through the influencers who seek to encourage involvement and inspire action to combat human trafficking. Large posters are displayed in the streets of the capital of Azerbaijan (which hosts approximately 25% of the population) illustrating different types of human trafficking that pose a threat to society.
The campaign which addresses both sexual, labour, and child exploitation as a prevalent form of modern-day slavery, is part of IOM’s ongoing initiative that aims to support governments, civil society organizations, international organizations, and the private sector to combat human trafficking in Azerbaijan.
The objective of these initiatives is to achieve Objective 10 (Prevent, combat, and eliminate trafficking in persons in the context of international migration) of the Global Compact. This objective entails stakeholders committing to implementing legislative or other measures to prevent, combat, and eliminate trafficking in persons within the context of international migration by strengthening capacities and international cooperation to investigate, prosecute, and penalize trafficking in persons, discouraging demand that fosters exploitation leading to trafficking, and ending impunity of trafficking networks.
IOM's “Combatting Trafficking in Persons Activity” Project also directly contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Out of the 17 SDGs, trafficking in persons is specifically mentioned in three targets under three goals: 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 16 (Peace Justice and Strong Institutions).
IOM works closely with the Azerbaijani government to support multi-sectoral collaboration in prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership in order to effectively combat the trafficking crime and further improve the country’s effectiveness in preventing and combating human trafficking and forced labour in the framework of the 4th National Action Plan for 2020-2024 on Countering Trafficking in Person (NAP4).
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