Moldova Poster Campaign Launches
The school season in Moldova began September 1 and one month later JFY’s poster campaign was launched with partnering organizations promoting human trafficking awareness across the nation. This has been a 6 month planning process finally made into a reality.
Throughout the year, volunteers from a number of locally registered organizations, including foreign NGO’s, will help distribute the posters in schools, village administration offices and city shops. Getting the word out in massive form, concerning modern day slavery, is vital to help curb this growing problem.
There are approximately 2000 schools in Moldova (including orphanages) and we hope to see 1 poster hanging in each of them along with a 40 minute trafficking presentation given for the student body. We hope to finish this project by the end of 2012 with the goal of having young people much more aware of this horrific international crime.
Young people are continually falling for the lie of a better life outside of their borders by people falsely advertising bogus work. Traffickers commonly offer young people a chance to travel in the summer and make 1000 Euros per month by waitressing, hotel cleaning, babysitting or farm work. Very little details are given concerning the journey, schedule or living conditions. Most young people just focus on the money they hope to get – “Euro Signs”.
Of course, this is a trap and traffickers prey on the naivety of youth who are often desperate for riches. Very few are aware of the dangers of human trafficking and how their lives could be at risk by brutal slave traders. Once trapped it’s difficult or nearly impossible to get out.
Information campaigns, such as JFY’s poster campaign, is one way to help these youth make informed decisions in the future. The hotline number provided on the poster is a free phone call to assist the caller in finding more information about foreign job offers. Being informed and doing a little research will greatly reduce the possibility for traffickers to mislead the young people of Moldova.
Information is powerful and we hope to empower young people with knowledge that could save their lives.
Kelly Hoodikoff
