Belarus to host gathering of volunteers of human trafficking prevention movement

The national gathering of volunteers of the movement of human trafficking prevention is expected to be held in Belarus in the near future, BelTA learnt from Natalia Zhak, the head of the project “Fight against human trafficking: Republic of Belarus” of the International Organization for Migration /IOM/. She is taking part in the seminar “Cooperation of the state, international and public organization in the field of human trafficking prevention” which opened in Vitebsk on April 16. According to Natalia Zhak, since 2002 Belarus has formed a network of the public organizations which became experts in fight against trafficking in human beings and in help for those who suffered from it. The IOM Office in Belarus cooperates with 20 organizations including the Red Cross Society. Apart from the gathering of volunteers, the IOM intends to hold seminars for mass media, organize a number of initiatives and information campaigns. During the seminar in Vitebsk, representatives of the Belarusian Interior Ministry, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutors’ Office, executive authorities of the Vitebsk oblast and public organizations will get familiar with the peculiarities of the current situation in the sphere of human trafficking prevention, law practice in this area. Moreover, participants of the seminar will pay special attention to social, psychological, medical and legal aspects in the work with victims of human trafficking. Till the end of May such seminars will be held in every oblasts of Belarus except the Mogilev oblast where it has been already held in early April, Natalia Zhak added. The seminar in Vitebsk has been organized by the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the International Organization for Migration under the auspices of the Belarusian Red Cross Society and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The seminar is held within the framework of the project of the international technical aid “Fight against human trafficking: Republic of Belarus” carried out by the Belarusian Interior Ministry and the IOM Office in Belarus.