COALITION PROGRAMS: Information Campaigns

Although regional information campaigns by Angel Coalition members are ongoing, no coordinated multi-regional, multi-media campaign against trafficking had been conducted in Russia until May, 2001.

First All-Russia multi-media public education and information campaign

On May 16th, 2001 the Angel Coalition, a consortium of 43 Russian NGO's, launched an intensive 100 day anti-trafficking campaign in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhni y Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Petrozavodsk and Veliki y Novgorod with simultaneous press conferences in all six sites and the distribution of campaign literature, bus posters, metro cards, TV and radio spots. During the course of the campaign, over 1000 community volunteers in six regions distributed 50,000 posters, 600,000 information booklets, 100,000 stickers, 5,000 buttons, 25,000 printed packets and 12,000 bus/metro placards. Community action events included organizing parades, demonstrations, lectures, and legislative activity.

On May 16th, the Angel Coalition partners in each region opened telephone hotlines in preparation for callers to hotline numbers published on TV, radio, in newspaper articles and on printed materials.

Funds for NGO press training and community coalition building were provided by the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Funds for printing of campaign materials and distribution were provided by the US Embassy Democracy Grant program, Soroptimist International, private foundations and donors.

The 100-day campaign was the first and largest multi-regional, multi-media public education anti-trafficking campaign in Russia. The campaign reached more than 10 million Russians. The raised awareness that the campaign created nationally is well documented-radio, TV and newspaper stories reached an audience of more than 60 million. Although this is an impressive number, it is a one-time "reach". The following statistical and anecdotal record clearly documents that the training and print media strategies specifically developed for this campaign were highly successful in reaching the target audience not only one-to-one, but multiple times through the extensive use of non-broadcast media, personal contact and regional presentations by Angel Coalition partners. Responses from print media outnumbered broadcast media 3 to 1. The large number of actual telephone hotline responses (1562), the significant involvement of private and public community participants and the political support received in most regions was unprecedented. The campaign was most successful in those regions where local and oblast government support was high. Where such support was lacking, the results were clearly not as impressive. This points to the need for increased training and education to political entities and individuals for future campaigns.

Although the campaign officially ended on August 31, the public demand for continuing education has compelled NGO's in each region to extend their local efforts, despite a lack of funding. There is universal agreement by the Angel Coalition partners in each region that anti-trafficking public education efforts must continue, with specific focus on young women and girls in orphanages, schools, universities and the workplace.

Informational campaign in Murmansk and Kola Peninsula

The Angel Coalition actively partners with its members and other NGO's not only in Russia but abroad.

In 2003 working with the IRIS, a Swedish NGO, and Crisis Center "Priyut" an NGO in the Kola peninsula (Murmansk region), Angel Coalition staff provided expert training to help create the region's first anti-trafficking multi-media campaign. In addition to TV and radio spots, the campaign included distribution of brochures, posters, stickers, bus cards and plastic bags.

This campaign funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) was planned for the whole Murmansk oblast. NGO representatives from the cities of Severomorsk, Apatity, and Poliarnye Zory joined the campaign and provided

information coverage of the trafficking problem in their local media.

The campaign started on September 18, 2003 with a high level international conference for the Government of Murmansk and Murmansk region and a press conference.

During the campaign ore then 1000 brochures were distributed in Murmansk alone. Murmansk hot-line received more then 225 calls. City Police has given his order to his staff to direct all the trafficking victims to Priyut's shelter, if they ever meet such cases. City and Oblast government received a flood of letters and calls from community groups and local NGO's in Murmansk. Local Migration service allowed to publish their telephone number in our campaign brochure. As a result Migration service complained that too many people called them to check this or that company's legality. That's how good cooperation with Migration Service was achieved

A documentary was filmed by Swedish partners and Murmansk State Tele-Radio Company. It will be shown on Murmansk TV. A lieflet was published by Roks in Murmansk with telephone numbers of Crisis centers in Sweden , Norway and Finland

16 seminars on trafficking were carried out for teachers around the oblast (Murmansk-12, Monchegorsk-1, Olenegorsk-1, Polyarhy-1, Zapolyarny-1) by Murmansk team of trainers of Irina Fogt. In the other 3 cities-campaign participants (Polyarnie Zory, Severomorsk and Apatity) the seminars were held by their own crisis centers. Those teachers later were obliged to hold 10 seminars or “class hours” with their children, thus more then 160 seminars for more then 3000 teanagers were carried out around the region. Anti-trafficking seminars were also held in Murmansk by Priyut for Migration Service and for tour companies. Those tour companies who did not come for the seminar were put on a black list. The research of tour agencies was carried out by Olga Patrakeeva's team. The list was sent to Migration service to check and take measures.

Training on how to run a campaign on trafficking provided by MiraMed Institute and Angel Coalition to NGO's in Romania

The Angel Coalition has also provided staff training for the first regional anti-trafficking campaign in the Iasi region of Romania, a large area that borders Moldova. Working with the Romanian organization “Alternative Sociale” (“Social Alternative”), based in Iasi, Angel Coalition experts provided 36 days of technical assistance to the coalition of Romanian NGOs in Iasi, Suceava and Neamtz. MiraMed Institute and Angel Coalition experts were recommended to Romanian NGO's. by the international funding organizations were USAID and World Learning.

The campaign center – city of Iasi (North-East of Romania,close to the border with the Republic of Moldova) is characterized by hard trafficking situation: with large number of Romanian women are being trafficked from this region of the country, this place is also a transit point for trafficking of Moldovan and Ukrainian women to Western Europe and to the Southern border of the country for trafficking to the countries of Middle East. Therefore the NGO's of this region with active support of IOM Bucharest office decided to conduct an information campaign about the threat of trafficking.

Ytaded by NGO “Alternative Sociale”, NGO's from the cities of Botoshany, Galats, Bakeu, Vasluy, Pyatra-Nyamts and Suchava united in a teem of campaign organizers. The training of this team was conducted by MiraMed/ Angel Coalition experts in three stages: in May 2003 – preparation for the press-conference, June 11-16, 2003 – teaching basic campaign elements, September 11-16, 3003 – on site supervision of the campaign. During the second stage of the training the campaigns goals and strategies were developed, the target group defined and the slogan chosen, the quantity and character of printed hand-out materials were discussed. The strategy of lobbying work with government and stakeholders was also developed for each NGO group. Special attention was paid to untraditional methods of work? Such as child parades and rally, stickers in busses, rock concert for youth. A good result of this training was that participants acquired more confidence in organizing such events, especially in working with government

In September MiraMed and Angel Coalition checked the preparations of the coordinating organization in Iasi and local NGOs for the launch of the campaign, visited 3 remote districts, and made the last corrections before the campaign start

On September 11, 2003 the campaign was officially opened with a simultaneous press-conferences in 7 cities, where the main goals and objectives of the campaign were stated. Volunteers worked on central streets, distributing brochures to the public and putting up posters on the walls. As a result of an active start the population got the impression of something large going on in the cities. The campaign lasted for 2 months and included an organization of a large rock concert of one of the popular Romanian bands in support of the campaign and against trafficking.

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