BRAMA, June 6, 2000, 4:00pm EST

Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Kiev, Ukraine)
June 5, 2000

The Governments of the United States and Ukraine will co-sponsor a workshop on combating trafficking in women and children for international law enforcement officials from June 21-23, in Kiev. Officials from key destination countries (Turkey, Israel, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands) and transit countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Albania, Hungary, Romania, Moldova) will coordinate approaches and discuss solutions with their Ukrainian hosts for combating trafficking in human beings.

International organizations invited include the European Union, United Nations, OSCE, ILO and International Organization on Migration. The U.S. and Ukraine have worked together on a comprehensive anti-trafficking effort since 1997. The U.S. has dedicated more than $5 million for initiatives to advance shared goals of prevention of trafficking: protection of and assistance for victims; and prosecution of traffickers.

In addition to work with law enforcement officials, the United States sponsors information campaigns to reach out to potential victims and increase public awareness of methods used by traffickers. It also supports Ukrainian non-governmental organizations working on trafficking prevention and victim assistance. With USAID funding, Winrock International established trafficking prevention centers in Lviv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk serving at-risk women through job skills training, hotlines, counseling and referrals.
 
 

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