Human Trafficking is and has been a topic close to the heart of our organization CCIF. It concerns everyone, but still most people do not know much about it. We have carried out projects to raise awareness in the past, for example ProjectSTOP, however, there is still a lot to be done. This project is designed to reach out to youths and keep them safe since they are vulnerable to human trafficking by equipping youth workers and developing tools that will make youth workers play an important role in stopping human trafficking. Youths will be reached more effectively through youth workers by making them teach them about human trafficking and how to recognize possible victims and giving the needed support. The objectives of the project are: a) Increase the Identification of victims of Human Trafficking b) Increase safety among youths and to keep them safe c) Raise human trafficking awareness in general this project includes organizations from Cyprus, Italy, Malta and North Macedonia. More than 75 persons will be directly participating in this project. These participants will be youth workers from each of the participating countries. They will come from various cultural and social backgrounds and we will include different age groups. They will be participating in a workshop to learn about human trafficking and how to come up with activities to raise awareness among youth. There will also be multiplier events with a total amount of 110 participants. These participants will include “Youth Workers – Key to Ending Human Trafficking” (YU WOK 2 END HT) will compromise the establishment of four intellectual outputs: A research report, an online downloadable manual, an online course the creation of a software application that will be used to assist Youth workers identify possible youth victims of human trafficking. Youth Workers to identify victims of human trafficking more easily. The project will include a number of activities including transnational meetings, administrative activities, and hands on activities that will lead to the creation of the intellectual outputs and a number of national activities, consultations and multiplier events to promote the intellectual outputs. The methodology to be used will be very informal and we will try to change the approach according to the target group of each particular activity. The expected immediate results are: - 100 Downloads of the online manual from our website, 110 people attend the multiplier event - 100 people will be registered in the online course during the project - 75 people will attend the mobility of Youth Workers and 9 to attend the job shadowing event. The expected impact and long-term benefits include a strengthened relationship among all participating organizations and their youth workers and volunteers, increase the level of efficiency of NGOs working together. Another expected long-term impact is to raise awareness among youth and keep them safe as well as to train people working with youths to recognize signs of human trafficking and eliminate human trafficking.
-Undertaking a 2 prong research on the lifestyles and activities of youth in the partner countries that makes them vulnerable to human trafficking and how much youths and Youth workers know on the subject. -Analyzing the data collected to formulate a report and drafting a guide or procedures for youth workers to use to address the areas of concern or need. -Formulating effective and efficient tools to be used by youth workers to increase knowledge and empower them to adequately work among the youth to prevent exploitation and human trafficking. -Training of youth workers to be able to practically use the tools from the project and sharing best practices among other youth workers coming from some countries that have experience in working on issues of anti-trafficking. -Implementation and dissemination of project results through live streamed multiplier events. - Sharing best practice. Young people, especially those with risk factors, are vulnerable to human trafficking. What we know about trafficking survivors is that, in most cases, they have struggled with issues such as poverty, low self-esteem, broken homes, traumatic life events, and homelessness at some point in their life. Traffickers prey on those vulnerabilities, and use that as a means to “answer” or “solve” their problems. They might offer the promise of a good job so bills can be paid, the possibility of a fun and lucrative modelling career, or they simply might offer love and support in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. These offerings in and of themselves are not a crime. It becomes a crime when the trafficker, or pimp, begins to use force, fraud or coercion to entice someone to participate in activities against their will. The needs of vulnerable young people are best served by coordinated and integrated service responses. The project will address the critical need of youth workers that are key to preventing and rescue possible youth victims. Whilst we have identified the needs of both youth workers and youths the needs will be enhanced and updated with the outcome of the research. Youth workers need to have the required skills to deal with youths they suspect to have been trafficked as victims are unlikely to disclose right away. Youth workers need to be aware of the strong trauma bonding that often occurs between victims and their traffickers and realise and need to have information of service providers who are trained to help them. The youth workers need to know how traffickers can trap the youth. The project aims at equipping youth workers with required competences in raising their level of support capacity of law enforcement agencies and multi-disciplinary partners to carry out investigations and identify victims of trafficking, and assisting trafficking survivors so they are able to fully recover from their experience and live healthy and productive lives by providing re-integration services including counselling, vocational training and advice on starting a small business. The project is being carried out transnationally because trafficking in persons is a global issue which is affecting youth in Europe hence we have included strategic partners from countries that have in-depth experience in the subject and also broad based youth organisations who work with a lot of youth workers and youth, also included are two organisations that belong to huge anti-trafficking networks, which will help in dissemination and exploitation
Modern Slavery is the recruitment, movement, harbouring or receiving of children, women or men through the use of force, coercion, abuse of vulnerability, deception or other means for the purpose of exploitation. Individuals may be trafficked into, out of or within the EU for a number of reasons including sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude and organ harvesting. “Trafficking in human beings is the slavery of our times”, as said in the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016. According to the International Labour Organisation, in 2012 there were 20.9 million people who were victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation in the world. With the recent migratory, economic and security challenges, the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings continues to represent an issue which requires a coherent and coordinated response to address its effect upon individuals, society and the economy. According to the Modern Slavery Index 2017, an annual study by Verisk Maplecroft, over the last year modern slavery risks have risen in almost three quarters of the European Union, as 20 countries recorded a drop in their scores. The EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016 has identified five key priorities the EU should focus on, two of them are the objectives of this project. “Identifying (..) victims of trafficking” as well as “Stepping up the prevention of trafficking in human beings”.