Address by Mrs. Mahym Orazmuhammedova, Chief of IOM Belarus Mission

 «Support to Protect»

Forced migration, irregular migration routes, armed conflicts, lack of social support in the host country, and the COVID-19 pandemic - all increase the vulnerability of migrants to human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a crime and a grave human rights violation.

Despite significant advancements to address this distressing phenomenon, our work is far from over. 

In Belarus, IOM has been working in combatting human trafficking since 2002 under four pillars:

• Provision of assistance to victims of trafficking;
• Prevention of trafficking and promotion of safe and regular migration;
• Prosecution and criminalization - we assist national partners in legislation harmonization and capacity building;
• Partnership with state authorities, public associations, private companies and donors.

Today we put a special focus on vulnerable migrants and refugees. We put significant effort into helping refugees from Ukraine: we provide food and hygiene kits, medical and psychological support, accommodation assistance and transportation support.

At the same time, we prioritize vulnerability screenings and aim at sustainable integration of people in their new communities through securing employment and education to minimize risks to human trafficking.

In our work to combat human trafficking, we emphasize the need for a holistic approach through prevention, assistance to victims and prosecution of criminals. IOM is also committed to international cooperation - only by joining forces can we stop human trafficking.