IOM Azerbaijan is currently conducting a public information campaign during the months of July and August to raise awareness about human trafficking.

The awareness-raising campaign carried out within the “Combatting Trafficking in Persons Activity” Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) targets both vul-nerable groups and the general public in Azerbaijan in the sense that not only those at immediate risk of trafficking will be targeted with direct preventative messages, but also the general population.

Promotional posters and videos in Azerbaijani and English languages were developed with the aim to raise public awareness about trafficking, prevent vulnerable persons from becoming victims of traf-ficking, and encourage people to report concerns to the specialized police department by advertising the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Helpline number 152.

The images of the awareness campaign are published on the Mission’s social media pages, as well the message about the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is spread through the influencers which seek to encourage involvement and inspire action to combat human trafficking. Large posters are displayed in the streets of the capital of Azerbaijan, public places illustrating different types of human trafficking that pose a threat to society.

The campaign which addresses both sexual, labour, and child exploitation as a prevalent form of modern-day slavery, is part of IOM’s ongoing initiative that aims to support governments, civil socie-ty organizations, international organizations, and the private sector to combat human trafficking in Azerbaijan.

IOM works closely with the Azerbaijani government to support multi-sectoral collaboration in preven-tion, protection, prosecution, and partnership in order to effectively combat the trafficking crime and further improve the country’s effectiveness in preventing and combating human trafficking and forced labour in the framework of the 4th National Action Plan for 2020-2024 on Countering Traffick-ing in Person (NAP4).