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Mozambique - IOM's Southern African
Counter-Trafficking Assistance Programme (SACTAP) has released a thrilling
new drama to radio stations throughout Mozambique to raise awareness of the
dangers of irregular migration and trafficking.
Produced by the Johannesburg-based Community Media for Development
(CMFD), the 13-part drama entitled "Troco" or "Change"
is inspired by the desire of many Mozambicans to emigrate to improve their
daily lives; a wish that often leaves them vulnerable to human trafficking.
The drama, which is also currently aired in Zambia, follows a family of
women traders who are inadvertently caught up in a mafia scandal and an
underground human trafficking ring. Through their experiences and those
around them, listeners are encouraged to ask questions on a range of issues
related to trafficking and migration.
As part of this initiative, a handbook for journalists and community
organizations will provide information to initiate discussions about the
characters and the issues they face. Radio stations will be encouraged to
have live phone-in and text message discussions after each episode. The
series will also have a blog in both English and Portuguese
Last week, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza signed into law three
bills designed to criminalize human trafficking
"There is need to inform and educate people about the new
legislation and to train law enforcement and social service agents who will
be responsible for putting it into practice," says Nely Chimedza, IOM
Project Coordinator in Maputo. "This radio drama is part of efforts to
publicize the new legislation in a country plagued by a culture of silence
when it come to human trafficking.
A Portuguese version of the drama is expected to reach listeners in
Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea, Sao Tomé and Angola through Rádio
Difusão Portuguesa (RDP)'s African Portuguese language service.
Radio is considered the most popular source of entertainment and
information for rural communities, which are the most vulnerable to human
trafficking in Southern Africa.
Human trafficking is a growing issue in Mozambique. Since January 2008,
Mozambican authorities say they have rescued more than 200 children who
were being trafficked to South Africa.
IOM's SACTAP is funded by the Norwegian Embassy in South Africa and the
US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
(PRM)
For more information please contact:
Nely Chimedza
IOM Maputo
Tel: +258 21 310 779
E-mail: nchimedza@iom.int
Karen Blackman
IOM Pretoria
Tel: + 27 12 342 27 89
E-mail: kblackman@iom.int
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