Project for the Prevention
of Adolescent Trafficking
Submitted on November 30, 2001 to: The U.S. Department of State
Bureau of European Affairs
Christina Tribble, Women’s Issue Coordinator
Conrad Tribble, Northern Europe Initiative
Follow-up to the WoMen & Democracy Project
Developed by:
The International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA)
in collaboration with
NGO Living for Tomorrow
AIDS-I Tugikeskus AIDS Information & Support Center
Primary Contact Information:
The International Organization for Adolescents, (IOFA)
Alison Boak
P.O. Box 22218
Brooklyn, NY 12202-2218 USA
Tel: 718-222-5802
Fax: 718-222-5803
E-mail: iofa@iofa.org
www.iofa.org
Partner Contact Information:
NGO Living for Tomorrow
Sirle Blumberg
Nelgi 34-61
Tallinn 11211 ESTONIA
Tel: +372 52 87376
Fax: +372 6 273 510
NGO AIDS Information & Support Center
Jury Kalikov
Kopli 32
Tallinn, 10412 ESTONIA
Tel/Fax: +372 6413165
E-mail: tugikeskus@hotmail.com
* denotes participant in WoMen & Democracy Conference
Attachments
PPAT Educational Module
PPAT Career Workshops
PPAT Working Abroad Consultations
Sample PPAT Training Curriculum
Monitoring Documents
Government Working Group
Letters of Partnership Support
NGO Living for Tomorrow
AIDS Information & Support Center
Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking
- Estonia
Executive Summary
At the WoMen & Democracy Conference held June 2001 in Lithuania a
number of youth serving organizations began a dialogue to discuss their shared
concern about how to address the recent increase in youth trafficking in
their countries. The Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking
in Latvia (PPAT-Latvia) emerged as a model program for preventing youth
from becoming victims of human trafficking through education and awareness
rising.
At the WoMen and Democracy Conference in Vilnius, Sirle Blumberg, Director
of the NGO in Estonia Living for Tomorrow, approached Alison Boak, Director
of IOFA. Ms. Blumberg expressed her strong desire to bring the PPAT program
model to the youth in Estonia. A number of other community-based
organizations, including AIDS-I Tugikeskus [AIDS Information & Support
Center], have already expressed their strong desire to participate in this
project.
This project proposes to replicate in Estonia the successful Project
for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking in Latvia (PPAT-Latvia) currently
sponsored by the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM). PPAT-Estonia
is being developed in response to a growing body of evidence which indicates
that 1) trafficking is a burgeoning problem in Estonia, 2) the problem
of trafficking is not being adequately addressed in Estonia, and 3) victims
of trafficking in Estonia tend to be under the age of 25. The goal
of this project is to prevent the trafficking of adolescents in Estonia by
raising awareness and educating youth about the issue of human trafficking
and forced labor. The project will also focus on building the capacity
of local youth serving NGOs to educate youth on the issue of human trafficking
and work to increase the cooperation between NGOs and the Estonian government
on the issue of combating human trafficking.
Previous projects focusing on trafficking in Estonia have successfully
established a network of NGOs committed to combating human trafficking.
This project will build upon that foundation by providing youth serving
NGOs in this network with the training, skills, and tools to educate youth
about the issue of human trafficking. As a result of this project,
youth throughout Estonia will have the opportunity to receive free consultations
by trained and knowledgeable professionals before going abroad to work.
During the consultation with a trained counselor, a file is created which
contains a copy of the young person’s passport, his/her work contract, and
contact information both at home and abroad. During the consultation
young people receive information on protecting themselves while working
abroad, watch a film about working abroad safely and are advised how to
check the legitimacy of their job offer.
Implementing the PPAT model in Estonia is an important next step for
the development of a cost-effective, sustainable, effective nationwide
strategy to prevent human trafficking in Estonia.
I. Project Justification
NGOs in Estonia have been working since 1999 to combat the problem of
human trafficking in Estonia. With the fall of the iron curtain, community
based NGOs in Estonia began to see a rapid increase in clients that had
suffered severe physical and psychological trauma as a result of being trafficked
for forced labor and/or sexual exploitation. Although exact data is
difficult to collect due to the sensitive, complex and dangerous nature
of the problem, experts on the ground providing services to trafficked victims
in Estonia agree that the problem of human trafficking is becoming more
serious and more dangerous in Estonia. This is exemplified by the fact that
28% of calls made during a three-month period to an NGO hotline in 2001
were to report problems associated with human trafficking.
Two community based NGOs, Living for Tomorrow and AIDS Information &
Support Center, both partners in this project, have taken the lead in Estonia
in developing a trafficking prevention strategy for NGOs in Estonia.
These organizations have worked to document the problem in Estonia, organize
a network of NGOs dedicated to combating human trafficking, and provide
some vital services to trafficked women, such as psychological support,
legal, and medical help. In 2001, the AIDS Information & Support
Center provided assistance to 165 victims of trafficking.
Through the work and efforts of these two organizations, it has become
apparent that young people, especially prostituted youth, under the age
of 25, are most at risk for becoming victims of human trafficking in Estonia.
This mirrors the trend seen in Latvia as well as research conducted in several
countries of destination., In a recent survey conducted in Estonia, 27%
of prostitutes were found to be girls under the age of 18 and 47% were young
women between the ages of 18 and 24.
The Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking (PPAT) would
fill a large gap in services currently being offered to youth in Estonia
by providing them with critical information and tools to protect themselves
when going abroad to work. PPAT would also build upon past trafficking prevention
activities in Estonia by providing training to a network of NGOs that have
already been organized and expressed an interest in working to prevent human
trafficking in Estonia.
Furthermore, this project would work to engage the Estonian government
in the prevention of human trafficking. While the Estonian Government has
signed onto several interstate cooperation agreements concerning fighting
crime, including human trafficking, it has unfortunately failed to make
any real commitment to 1) recognizing that there is a trafficking problem
in Estonia; and 2) combating this trafficking problem. There are currently
NO programs for the prevention of and education about human trafficking
that were initiated or supported by the Estonian government. A 25%
reduction in the State Budget for prevention and education programs in 1999
and a freezing of the budget for 2000 demonstrates the low level of understanding
and acceptance of the problem of human trafficking and the conservative
attitude of State institutions in Estonia.
Implementing the PPAT model in Estonia is an important next step for
the development of a cost-effective, sustainable, effective nationwide
strategy to prevent human trafficking in Estonia.
II. Goals & Objectives
Goal: To prevent the trafficking
of adolescents in Estonia
Objective 1: To increase the awareness of human
trafficking and forced labor among a significant number of adolescents aged
14-25 years in Estonia over one year
Objective 2: To increase the awareness of human
trafficking and forced labor among adolescent sex workers aged 25 or younger
in Estonia over one year
Objective 3: To increase the capacity of NGO’s
and government officials in Estonia to prevent human trafficking and forced
labor
III. Target Population
1. Adolescents between the ages of 14-25
PPAT is unique in that it targets boys and girls. Males are included
in this target group since the behavior of young girls in Estonia is often
tied to that of male figures in their lives, such as a boyfriend or husband.
In Estonia, gender stereotypes often place women in subordinate and powerless
positions. Therefore, we can only help young women if we educate
males as well.
2. Adolescent sex workers under the age of 25
PPAT is unique because it has a special component targeting adolescent
sex workers, the group most at risk for becoming victims of trafficking.
Because of the stigmatization surrounding prostitution, many anti-trafficking
groups try to hide the reality that many trafficking victims knew or suspected
that they would be working in the sex industry. As a result, trafficking
prevention programs neglect prostitutes, the population most at risk.
PPAT incorporates a special component targeting adolescent prostitutes
in an effort to protect the health and human rights of all adolescents.
3. Government leaders and policy makers in Estonia
In order to institutionalize PPAT in Estonia, it is imperative that strong
links are established between NGOs working with at-risk youth and government
decision-makers, including those in key policy positions.
IV. Project Description
PPAT is a trafficking prevention program to be implemented nationally
in Estonia over a one-year period. PPAT aims to increase adolescents’
awareness of trafficking and forced labor in Estonia through several coordinated
activities:
Activity 1 A network of 6 youth centers throughout
Estonia will educate more than 3600 young people under the age of 25 about
forced labor and human trafficking. Description: The youth centers will educate young people
on human trafficking in three ways. First, a module on human trafficking
and forced labor will be integrated into the existing curriculum of the youth
centers. Please see Attachment 1 for more details on the module.
Secondly, career workshops will be organized targeting young people in the
community who are not already connected to the youth centers. Please
see Attachment 2 for more details on the career workshop. Finally,
young people will be offered the opportunity to come to the youth center in
their community and receive a free consultation before going abroad to work.
Please see Attachment 3 for more details on the free consultations.
Activity 2 Conduct a five-day training for the staff
and peer educators from these 6 youth centers. Description: The training, which will be conducted by local
and international experts in the field of human trafficking, will work to
provide the project staff with a thorough understanding of the issues surrounding
human trafficking. The training will provide the project staff
with the information, knowledge, skills, and tools to successfully implement
the education component of PPAT. Finally, the training will provide
a forum for networking and coalition building among professionals working
to stop trafficking. Please see Attachment 4 for a sample training
agenda.
Activity 3 Support the local trainers as they educate and provide
consultations to young people planning to go abroad. Description: The project partners will work to provide on-going
training and support to the project staff in order to ensure successful implementation
of the PPAT education module. This includes site visits, monitoring,
and evaluation of the performance of all staff members. Please see
Attachment 5 for a sample instrument used to monitor the work of the staff.
Activity 4 Organize and train a Government Working Group
in order to develop a coordinated strategy to combat trafficking and forced
labor in Estonia at the national level. Description: Four government working group meetings
will be held to accomplish the following objectives---1) To provide a forum
for government leaders to share information and experience in regards to
trafficking and forced labor in Estonia. 2) To provide additional resources
and training to government leaders who are not familiar with the issue of
trafficking and forced labor. 3) To establish a link between the NGO sector
and government leaders and policy makers regarding community based trafficking
prevention programs, such as the Project for the Prevention of Adolescent
Trafficking (PPAT-Estonia). 4) To develop a concrete Plan of Action at the
national policy level regarding Estonia’s strategy to combat trafficking
and forced labor. Please see Attachment 6 for details of the four
government working group meetings.
Activity 5 Monitoring and Evaluation of the impact of the PPAT-Estonia
project Description: Several steps will be taken to monitor
and document the progress that is being made on each activity and towards
achieving the overall project goals. As previously mentioned the Youth Coordinator
and Training Coordinator will monitor and evaluate staff during site visits.
In addition, the Youth Coordinator and Training Coordinator will work with
an Evaluation Consultant to design data collection instruments (based on
those successfully used in Latvia) to be administered to all young people
who participate in PPAT activities at the youth centers. Training
will be provided to all local trainers to ensure that data collection surveys
are properly administered. Conducting pre- and post-tests with the
young people who participate in the program will collect data collected on
the impact of the education module, career workshops, and one-on-one consultations
on the knowledge and attitudes of young people about trafficking.
Analysis of this data will provide important information on the efficacy
of the PPAT trafficking prevention model. A comparative analysis
will also be conducted using this data from Estonia and previously collected
data from PPAT-Latvia.
V. Project Partners
The International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA)
Based in the United States, the International Organization for Adolescents
(IOFA) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving
the health and well being of young people throughout the world. IOFA
works in partnership with other community based organizations and provides
its project partners with a range of technical assistance services.
IOFA has worked in close collaboration with youth and youth-serving NGOs
in the Baltic States since 1999 and continues to play a critical role in
the prevention of adolescent trafficking in the region by assisting local
NGOs with research, training, coalition building, and project implementation.
IOFA is a US Department of State delegate to the WoMen and Democracy Initiative. Living for Tomorrow
Living for Tomorrow is a non-governmental organization founded in 1999
by people seeking more effective ways to make sexual information and education
available to young people in Estonia. Trained by the Nordic Institute
for Women’s Studies and Gender Research, the staff of Living for Tomorrow
provides interactive lectures and seminars for young people on issues of
sexuality, gender, HIV/AIDS, and STDs. The staff also offers youth
counseling services and carries out research on various gender and sexual
issues in Estonia. Living for Tomorrow is a delegate of the Estonian
government to the WoMen and Democracy Initiative. The AIDS Information and Support Center
This nonprofit, non-governmental organization was founded in 1994 by
a group of volunteers in Tallinn, Estonia. Through three centers,
two located in Tallinn and one in Tartu, the Center offers a number of
services including anonymous AIDS/HIV, pre and post testing counseling,
safer sex counseling, provision of literature on safer sex, and psycho
social support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
The Center also conducts outreach work with target groups including sex
workers, adolescent prostitutes, gays, and most recently, with victims of
human trafficking.
VI. Administrative Details
Alison Boak, Executive Director of IOFA, will supervise the project.
IOFA will be primarily responsible for providing the technical assistance
necessary to adapt the PPAT model for implementation in Estonia.
Ms. Boak has extensive experience in the Baltic States, having lived and
worked in the region since 1994.
The project will be co-coordinated in Estonia by Sirle Blumberg of Living
for Tomorrow and Jury Kalikov of the AIDS Information and Support Center.
Ms. Blumberg will be responsible for supervising the participating youth
centers and their staff as they implement the PPAT project. Mr. Kalikov
will be responsible for supervising the training and the monitoring and
reporting requirements of the project, including report writing, disbursement
of funds, and accounting of funds spent locally. Mr. Kalikov has
directed several large projects including those funded by the Open Society
Institute, US Baltic Foundation, and Kvinnoforum.
VII. Timeline
Month 1
Organize 6-member network of youth centers.
Hire staff and peer educators from these organizations.
Adapt training materials for Estonia. Month 2
Plan Training.
Hold first governmental working group meeting.
Translate and print training materials. Month 3
Hold 5-day training for staff and peer educators from the youth centers. Month 4
Hold second governmental working group meeting.
Staff begins to implement Education Modules. Month 5
Site visits to youth centers begin. Month 6
Third government working group meeting is held. Month 7-12
Continued support by project partners to staff.
Continued monitoring and evaluation of project.
Final government working group meeting held.
Fulfill project-reporting requirements.
VIII. Follow-up Mechanism
A number of foundations and government agencies will be approached to
provide support to extend the project beyond the first year. Once the
staff is trained and materials developed and translated, the costs of continuing
the program are minimal. It is also hoped that involving the government
in this program will lead to some local funding or support of trafficking
prevention programs in the future.
Follow up plans include linking the government working group created
in Estonia with the existing PPAT government working group in Latvia to
discuss regional cooperation.
Attachment 1
Overview of Educational Modules
This is an overview of the two sessions that local trainers will be implementing
for young people under the age of 25 in Estonia.
Session I
Pre-test is administered (10 minutes)
Introduction (10 minutes)
How many of you have ever traveled to another country?
How many of you have ever lived in another country?
How many of you have ever worked in another country?
How many of you think you might go work in another country someday?
Where would you go? What kind of job would you like to have?
Viewing of the Film “Smooth Flight” (34 minutes)
This film was produced in 2001 in the Baltic State of Latvia as part
of the PPAT-Latvia project.
Discussion/Question & Answer (remainder of time)
See “Smooth Flight” Teacher’s Training Guide
Session 2
What is human trafficking and forced labor? (10 minutes)
Ways to protect oneself if one goes abroad (10 minutes)
Techniques and tools for critically assessing the ads and offers of work
abroad (5 minutes)
Role-plays (calling companies advertising work abroad) (15 minutes)
Discussion of trafficking/Q&A (10 minutes)
Post-test administered (10 minutes)
Attachment 2
(From PPAT Latvia Project)
Frequently asked questions about organizing a career workshop in your
community
What is a career workshop?
A career workshop is a one-day FREE event where young people from the
community and their parents can come and learn how to protect themselves
when going abroad to work.
Who should attend a career workshop?
Career workshops are a chance for young people and their parents who
do not normally come in contact with the youth centers to learn how to protect
themselves when going abroad to work. This is also good publicity for
your center. Feel free to have your brochures handy and encourage young
people to visit your center or join one of your programs.
Who is responsible for organizing the career workshops?
The coordinators are responsible for organizing the career workshops.
The local trainers should provide assistance to the coordinators.
How often should career workshops be organized?
Coordinators are responsible for organizing two career workshops between
January 2002 and July 2002. These dates were chosen because most
young people plan to go abroad during the summer time.
What are some good venues for holding career workshops?
Career workshops should be held at places that are easily accessible
to the community. For example, cultural centers, schools, universities and
churches are all excellent places to hold a career workshop.
How do we get young people to come to the workshop?
Advertise! Hang posters, put ads in the local newspapers, and hand
out flyers. You can also send invitations to other NGOs, government
leaders, community leaders, etc. so that they can learn more about the
PPAT program.
What should be done in a career workshop?
Below are activities that could be offered at a career workshop.
The activities completed will depend on how many young people attend your
career workshop.
Show the film Smooth Flight
Discuss the risks of working abroad
Discuss tools for protecting yourself when going abroad.
Distribute information about human trafficking.
Provide names of reputable employment agencies.
Review contracts
Distribute important contact numbers for working abroad.
Other activities might include:
Hold a workshop on preparing a résumé.
Invite one or more young people who have already been abroad to come
and share their experiences.
How much funding do I have to organize the workshop?
While there is not a lot of funding available, you should receive enough
money to buy refreshments, make photocopies, rent a TV and VCR, etc.
SAMPLE CAREER WORKSHOP
Organized by Coordinator Alison Boak, assisted by local trainers Skaidrite
Biezaite and Inese Ozolina, at the Lutheran Church in Ogre, Latvia on Saturday,
February 7, 2002 from 1pm until 4pm. The Lutheran Church was chosen
as a venue because the Pastor expressed interest in the issue of human
trafficking and agreed to help recruit young people from the church to
attend. Because it was a church it was a free place to hold
the workshop.
Pre-planning
The week before the career workshop posters were hung around Ogre.
The Pastor announced the workshop in church the previous Sunday and an
announcement was placed in the Ogres Vestis about the workshop. No
pre-registration was required because the church hall was very big and
could accommodate nearly 100 people. Juice and cookies were ordered
from a nearby store. A couple of volunteers were recruited to help
with food, registration, and cleanup. A volunteer lawyer from an
NGO in Riga agreed to come and answer questions about contracts and 3 young
people who had worked abroad volunteered to come share their experience.
12:00pm The church room was arranged. Materials
are placed on tables for young people to pick up. A TV and VCR were
brought in. Food was set up. A registration table was set up near the
door.
12:30pm Registration begins. As people entered they were asked to sign
in. Because the Coordinator Monthly Reports require data on
the age and sex of participants the registration form asked for this information.
1:00pm Coordinator welcomes everyone. Tells who she and the local trainers
are and explains their work with the PPAT project.
1:15-2:15pm Panelists sit in the front and each takes a turn telling
their experience going abroad to work. When did they go? Where did
they go? Why? How? What were the good experiences?
What were the not so good experiences? What advice would they give?
After their presentations, the participants had the chance to ask questions.
2:15-3:15pm Viewing of Smooth Flight followed
by a discussion.
3:15pm Explains that young people can go to a youth center for a private
consultation before going abroad to work. At the consultation we
will make a photocopy of your passport, record your contact information
both in Latvia and abroad, make copies of any contracts, provide contacts
in the countries they are traveling to, etc.
3:30-4:00pm Information is passed out and young people can
mingle and privately ask questions of the coordinator, local trainers or
the volunteer lawyer. Young people are asked to fill out an evaluation
of the career workshop before leaving. A project t-shirt is also
raffled off.
Clean up.
Follow up: Organize receipts and send originals to Ginta.
Also, send Ginta the evaluations.
Attachment 3
Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking
PPAT-Estonia
Going Abroad to Work
Consultation Intake Form
Date of Intake_________________________
Name of Consultant __________________________________
CLIENT INFORMATION
Last Name________________________ First_____________________ Middle_______________
Female ___ Male ___ Trans-gendered____ Date of Birth
_________________
Married____ Single _____ Divorced ______ Widow _____
If married, what was your maiden name? _____________________________________________
Place of Birth________________ Nationality _________________________
Height ___________ Color of Hair ____________ Eye Color _______________
Weight ______________
Any birthmarks, scars or tattoos ____________________________________________________
Anything else we should know? ____________________________________________________
HOME CONTACT INFORMATION
Current Address __________________________________________________
Telephone number ________________________________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________________________
Other __________________________________________________________
CONTACT INFORMATION ABROAD
What country will you be going to? ___________________________________
Do you have an address where you can be contacted in country?
Passport number __________________________________________
Other Identification (driving license, school ID, etc.) ______________________
Copies of the following materials are attached:
o Passport
o Other ID (Type:______________________________________)
o Employment Contract
o Recent photograph
o Other _______________________________________
PPAT Working Abroad Consultations
Sample PPAT Training Curriculum
Monitoring Documents
Government Working Group
Attachment 6
Project for the Prevention of Adolescent Trafficking (PPAT-Estonia)
Government Working Group on Trafficking and Forced Labor
Co-Chairs: To be appointed.
Potential Participants:
Representative(s) from:
Ministry of Welfare, Department of Labour
Ministry of Education and Science
Ministry of Health, Health Promotion Disease Prevention Department
UNIPOL
International Organization for Migration (IOM-Estonia)
World Health Organization
UNICEF
UNESCO
International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA)
Police/Law Enforcement
Department of Immigration
Goal of Working Group:
To develop a coordinated strategy to combat trafficking and forced labor
in Estonia at the national level.
Objective 1: To provide a forum for government leaders
to share information and experience in regards to trafficking and forced
labor in Estonia.
Objective 2: To provide additional resources and training
to government leaders who are not familiar with the issue of trafficking
and forced labor.
Objective 3: To establish a link between the NGO sector
and government leaders and policy makers regarding community based trafficking
prevention programs, such as the Project for the Prevention of Adolescent
Trafficking (PPAT-Estonia).
Objective 4: To develop a concrete Plan of Action at the national
policy level regarding Estonia’s strategy to combat trafficking and forced
labor.
Activities:
A series of 4 bi-annual meetings to be held over the duration of the
PPAT project (2 years).
Year 1
Meeting 1
hold an organizational meeting where government leaders share information
and experience in regards to trafficking and forced labor in Estonia.
Meeting 2
hold a one-day seminar for government leaders and policy makers who need
additional information and training regarding trafficking and forced labor.
The seminar will be tailored to the needs of the particular leaders, based
on information gathered at Meeting
Year 2
Meeting 3
hold a networking meeting for NGO and governmental leaders. Both
sides can make short presentations regarding their progress in preventing
trafficking and forced labor. Form committee interested in developing
a Plan of Action.
Meeting 4 (2-3 day meeting)
Present results and lessons learned from PPAT-Estonia.
Planning meeting for the Plan of Action at the national policy level
regarding Estonia’s strategy to combat trafficking and forced labor.