| Teaching on Prevention of Trafficking in Persons at Secondary Schools in Georgia
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IOM is implementing the project “Secondary Education to Contribute to the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons” in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, with financial support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
In Georgia, IOM closely cooperates with the Ministry of Education on all aspects of the project implementation. The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia has committed to facilitating the integration of the anti-trafficking module into the national school curriculum. The Ministry’s representatives have actively participated in all events organized during this project, including on the boards deciding the selection of best tenders for the pro-
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duction of lesson material and training-of-teachers. Sixteen schools across the country were selected as venues for pilot-testing the draft educational material before release in the form of text books for students and for teachers. Ultimately, the aim is to include the material into the Civil Education textbooks for 9th and 10th grade pupils (which are aged 14 to 16).
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| At this stage the text books are readily available both for teachers and schoolchildren and the Civil Education teachers from nine regions of Georgia are trained in lesson delivery. The free-of-charge text books are being disseminated in large quantities in schools across the country.
Besides the teachers’ book and the student’s book, IOM has also produced auxiliary material
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to support an effective delivery of the anti-trafficking material applied during the lessons, namely:
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Short educational video for display in the classroom setting to stimulate discussions and revise learnt information; |
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A TV clip was produced and released through four major TV channels with nation-wide coverage, aiming to introduce this project and at the same time raise public awareness on trafficking in persons in general; |
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Booklets for parents that they children take home from schools, containing basic information on the reasons and the dangers of trafficking in persons and means of prevention. The booklets have been produced in Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani languages to facilitate a nation-wide coverage, including schools where Georgian is not the language of tuition; |
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Posters for display in school classrooms and corridors, appealing to schoolchildren why it is important to know about trafficking in persons and where to obtain more information; |
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Bookmarks for schoolchildren with general information about the project and trafficking in persons. |
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The project is regional and is aimed at empowering of the Ministries of Education in the field of anti-trafficking teaching and secure the sustainability of preventive measures applied in schools in all three countries.
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Assistance to the Government of Georgia to combat trafficking
in persons
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Coordinating with partner international organizations and NGOs, IOM is active in supporting the Government of Georgia to develop and upgrade its counter-trafficking policy.
IOM is a member of the Interagency Coordination Council, which oversees the implementation of Georgia’s counter-trafficking action plan. In that capacity IOM regularly provides expert advice to the government, such as for the development of the Strategy for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Victims of Trafficking (June 2007) and contribution to the update of the national counter-trafficking action plan (taking place in 2008). IOM is also officially involved in the implementation of the mechanisms for the identification of presumed victims of trafficking and the allocation of the official victim status.
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Capacity Building of government officials to combat trafficking
in persons
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IOM is implementing an 18 month project aiming at the building of capacity of key government structures. Training is conducted for a target 130 officials from the law enforcement structures (Prosecution Service and police officials from the Special Operations Department), the judiciary, the Border Police as well as consular officers. Using effective international practices placed in the specific context of Georgia, IOM engages with government structures in enhancing knowledge and skills required to combat trafficking in an effective manner, duly referring to crucial issues such as inter-ministerial coordination and international cooperation
Special components of this project concern the assistance to the Border Police to develop a comprehensive training module on trafficking for inclusion into the Border Police overall training curriculum. IOM engages also with the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in building internal capacity to train police officers in the basic aspects of trafficking in persons.
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| This project also envisages fact-finding missions to the conflict areas of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and two bilateral meetings between Georgian and Turkish law enforcement and victim assistance structures to enhance cooperation between the two countries on the combat of trafficking in persons. |
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Law enforcement training held
in December 2007 |
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| Funded by the Reuniting Europe Programme of the Global Opportunities Fund of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom. |
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Raising awareness among the Georgian military
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This project aims to raise the awareness of military personnel in Georgia on trafficking in persons, thus equipping them with the required knowledge and skills that will come in useful when on military mission outside the territory of Georgia., IOM engages with the Georgian Ministry of Defence in enhancing the capacity of the Georgian military to comply with international standards, including those concerning the combat of trafficking in persons.
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Funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US State Department.
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Assistance to victims of trafficking in persons
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Supported by the IOM Headquarters and IOM missions in countries of transit and origin of victims of trafficking, IOM Tbilisi assists victims of trafficking to return to their home countries. This concerns both citizens of Georgia trafficked abroad and citizens from third countries trafficked to or through Georgia. The usual assistance package, implemented in close cooperation with government and non-governmental actors, consists of pre-return protection, assisted and safe return to their country of origin (including assistance at transit airports) and post-return rehabilitation. Appropriate support is decided on a case-by-case basis.
Since 2004 IOM Tbilisi has assisted a total of 30 victims of trafficking (22 citizens of third countries trafficked to Georgia or transiting to other destinations, and 8 Georgian nationals trafficked to Turkey and assisted to return back home).
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| IOM Migration Resource Centres |
| Tbililsi |
Kutaisi |
41 Gogebashvili st., 0179, Tbililsi, Georgia
Tel: +995-32-252216, +995-32-293894
Fax: +995-32-252217
E-mail: consultation@iom.ge
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4600, 7 Viktor Kupradze st., Kutaisi, Georgia
Tel: +995-231-44443
E-mail: iomkutaisi@iom.ge
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| Batumi |
48 Abashidze Ave., Batumi, Georgia
Tel: +995-222-73689
E-mail: iombatumi@iom.ge
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