Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 29 July 2020

ILO

MEDIA ADVISORY

ILO to launch media Toolkit on Forced Labour and Fair Recruitment

GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) will hold a webinar to launch a media toolkit to help journalists report on forced labour  and fair recruitment .



The webinar will take place on 30 July, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, from 14:00 to 15:15 (CEST).



The toolkit aims to support the production of quality reporting on forced labour and fair recruitment issues, creating or strengthening networks of specialized journalists as well as building partnerships with those institutions who have the capacity and mandate to take forward media training and outreach.



It includes a media-friendly glossary on migration, as well as concrete tips for improving media productions and story ideas. To see the toolkit: bit.ly/ILOtoolkitforjournalists 



Speakers at the webinar will be:

 

• Michelle Leighton, Chief, Labour Migration Branch, ILO
• Michaelle de Cock, Head, Evaluation Unit, FUNDAMENTALS, ILO
• Sophy Fisher, Senior Communications Officer, DCOMM, ILO
• Anousheh Karvar, Chair, Alliance 8.7
• Silvana Cappuccio, Senior Officer, Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL)
• Matthias Thorns, Deputy Secretary General, International Organisation of Employers (IOE)
• Ana Santos (Philippines), journalist at Rappler
• Agnes Igoye (Uganda), Deputy National Coordinator for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons
• Vani Saraswathi (India/Qatar), journalist, Associate Editor and Director of Projects at Migrant-Rights
• Leonardo Sakamoto (Brazil), journalist, Director of Reporter Brazil
• Lisa Kristine (USA), photojournalist specializing in modern slavery
• Charles Autheman, media expert

The webinar will be conducted in English and will be recorded.





To register for the webinar: https://bit.ly/LaunchILOmediatoolkit 



For more information please contact fairrecruitmentinitiative@ilo.org .

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THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE ON THE WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

30 July 2020

This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons honours the first responders helping to end the crime of human trafficking: law enforcement officers, social workers, healthcare professionals, NGO staff and many others working around the world to protect the vulnerable.

Like the frontline heroes saving lives and sustaining our societies in the COVID-19 pandemic, these providers are keeping vital services going throughout the crisis -- identifying victims, ensuring their access to justice, health, social assistance and protection, and preventing further abuse and exploitation.

I thank these first responders and urge all governments and societies to join their cause, including through the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many global inequalities, created new obstacles on the path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and left millions of people at greater risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriage and other crimes.

Women and girls already account for more than 70 per cent of detected human trafficking victims, and today are among the hardest hit by the pandemic.  With previous downturns showing that women face a harder time getting paid jobs back in the aftermath of crisis, vigilance is especially important at this time.

If the world is to put human dignity and human rights at the centre of the COVID-19 response and recovery, we need to do more to protect trafficking victims and prevent vulnerable people from being exploited by criminals. On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us pledge to work for inclusive societies and economies that leave no one behind.

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Message UNODC Executive Director on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

30 July 2020

Every day, in every country in the world, human traffickers exploit people for profit. The poor and the vulnerable are most at risk. Over 70 per cent of detected trafficking victims are women and girls, while nearly one third are children.

COVID-19 has amplified trafficking dangers. Loss of jobs, growing poverty, school closures and a rise in online interactions are increasing vulnerabilities and opening up opportunities for organized crime groups.

The crisis has overwhelmed social and public services, impacted the work of law enforcement and criminal justice systems, and made it harder for victims to seek help.

And yet in these difficult times, we see the best of humanity: frontline heroes, men and women risking their lives and going above and beyond to provide essential support for human trafficking victims.

The theme of this year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons focuses on the first responders  - the social workers, labour inspectors, law enforcement officers and prosecutors, health workers and NGO staff who identify victims, help them on their path to justice and with rebuilding their lives.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime supports the first responders’ mission by channelling funding to help victims; providing protective equipment to anti-trafficking units and shelters; and assisting Member States to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on anti-trafficking responses.

UNODC also manages the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supports NGOs to provide direct assistance to 3,500 victims a year in more than 40 countries.

I invite governments and the private sector to donate to the Trust Fund, and I call on all people to show their support by joining UNODC’s Blue Heart campaign against human trafficking.

On the 2020 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and in the COVID response and recovery, I salute and support the first responders who provide a lifeline to trafficking victims. By reaffirming the rights and dignity of all people, we can recover better, more inclusively and more sustainably.