Solwodi Romania held a number of events as part of the campaigns to mark the EU Day against Human Trafficking. Adina Balan, CJ and Ms. Daniela Marinache.

Solwodi Romania participated in a number of awareness-raising events to mark the European Day against Human Trafficking 2017. In the lead up to the day, Solwodi members participated at a conference on 17 October, entitled Fighting women trafficking: Experience and project from Eastern Europe. The conference took place in Munich and was organized by the Hans Seidel Foundation, together with Aktionsbündnis gegen Frauenhandel and Renovabis. Solwodi Romania had the opportunity to share about its projects under way in Romania, against human trafficking and to join the experts’ panel discussions on sharing local experiences and finding common grounds to fight modern day slavery.
 

 
A diverse attendance of approximately 200 delegates attended, from policemen, researchers and academics to religious, social assistants, psychologists and people interested in the topic. Speakers from Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary and Romania spoke about their respective country contexts and shared their research on prevention and direct-assistance projects in efforts to address this global problem.
On 19 October, Solwodi Romania, together with Gheorghe Lazăr National College, presented an information and awareness-raising seminar on the topic of human trafficking. Approximately 150 students from schools and high-schools in Bucharest participated. The interactive session aimed to familiarize students with the concept of human trafficking and how it can occur; the various forms of exploitation; who are the traffickers and who are the victims in/from Romania; and how to protect oneself and those around us from becoming victims.
This 19 October information and awareness-raising seminar marked the opening of the Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign, devised by Solwodi for implementation in Romanian High-Schools during the period October – December 2017. The campaign is aimed at addressing more specific and sensitive issues connected to human trafficking such as: pornography, video-chat, recruitment methods specific to minors (Loverboy, work and study offers) .
The fight against abuse and exploitation cannot be done alone. Our efforts are more effective when strengthened by cooperation with organizations and people collaborating together with the purpose of bringing an end to trafficking and exploitation.
Adapted by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications Person.