Welcome to the folder with information about the Human Trafficking Prevention Program run by CARE International Bulgaria. It was within this program that the current web site was created; it was developed by the program team in cooperation with its partners with the aim to provide information on the issue of trafficking in human beings.

As a part of an international humanitarian organization, CARE Bulgaria views the issue of human trafficking through the prism of human rights.

CARE Bulgaria has been working in the field of human trafficking prevention since 2003. The majority of the projects which CARE has implemented since establishing its mission in Bulgaria address different risk groups with regard to this problem – especially children and youth placed in different types of state institutions. For more information on CARE Bulgaria and its projects, please visit the site of the organization: www.care-bg.org.

In the period 2006 – 2007, the Human Trafficking Prevention Program has focused upon:

· Awareness Raising Component – development and implementation of a nation wide anti-trafficking program. This campaign was directed at the society as a whole and more specifically at young people in Bulgaria.

· Empowerment through Training Component – it involves a series of round tables and discussions with professionals from the Ministry of Interior and media representatives.

· Prevention of Human Trafficking through visual life skills training modules. With this work, we pay special attention to the root cause of human trafficking. The visual products include documentary films about five life stories of young people from different parts in Bulgaria. Besides having prevention and training purpose (training in English language), the films have an artistic value and the program team – in cooperation with their partners – will attempt to disseminate them also via television channels and other media.

CARE Bulgaria initiatives with regard to human trafficking prevention in the period 2003 – 2004 include:

· Conduct of research/assessment with regard to the level of awareness and attitudes concerning human trafficking and its victims (in five regions in the country)
· Preparation of strategic action plans in 5 municipalities for response in countering the problem
· Realization of some of the measures planned in strategic plans and more specifically of five prevention initiatives tailored to the community needs.
· Development and dissemination of prevention materials addressing the problems – a short film presenting human trafficking and especially the sexual exploitation of women and girls, The Story of Olga; a poster and a TV clip presenting different facets of the problem
· Organization of discussions and training sessions with representatives of different governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The human trafficking prevention activities are implemented within various phases and projects (for more information, please see the separate phases).

Main partners and donors

Our team works with different partners and subcontractors for the realization of the program. The involvement of various partners is of primary importance to us, as we believe that the prevention of such a problem as human trafficking can be achieved successfully through partnership, networking and teamwork. Some of our main partners include: AgitProp Film Studio and Bulgarian Photographic Association, The British Council, Sofia, Animus Association Foundation/ La Strada Bulgaria, The Red House Center for Culture and Debate, Center for Media Development, Bulgarian Center for Gender Research, International Social Services, Marketing and Media Analyses Ltd., PULSE Foundation, Pernik, State Agency for Child Protection
Ministry of Internal Affairs as well as other central and local organizations; media representatives, such as National Channel bTV, FoxLife, Music Channel ММ, GTV and others.

A number of commercial enterprises and banks joined and supported some of our initiatives, and particularly the visual exhibition: Trafficking in Persons: 9 Authors’ Positions, such as METRO Cash & Carry, Technopolis, Postbank, Kongresstechnik, TrendiVision.

The main organizations and institutions that support financially our work include: Municipality of the city of Vienna, SPO Frauen, CARE Austria and CARE Privatstiftung

Team

The core team working on the program – for its development and realization - for different periods of time between 2003 and 2007 include: Dobriana Petkova, Tsvetana Vulcheva, Denitsa Petrova and Ivanka Georgieva.

If you have questions and comments with regard to the CARE Bulgaria’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program, you can turn to the team currently working on the program:

Ivanka Georgieva, Program Administrator
ivanka.georgieva@care-bg.org
Denitsa Petrova, Program Administrator
denitsa.petrova@care-bg.org
Dobriana Petkova, Supervisor and Program Coordinator
dobriana.petkova@care-bg.org