From 11 to 15 April, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) conducted an awareness-raising campaign with youngsters in five villages in the region of Guria (Western Georgia). The main topic of the meetings was child labour in the context of prevention of trafficking in persons. These meetings were guided by representatives of IOM and the State Care Agency’s branch office in Guria.

A large range of issues were discussed, such as the prevalent forms of child labour in Georgia, the risks of child labour, child rights and the legal framework to protect the rights of children. This initiative of IOM was supported by a local expert who facilitated the outreach to connect with local youth. The meetings were generally quite dynamic, with the participants discussing challenges that their communities are facing and considering concrete examples of child labour and real-life scenarios.

This initiative is part of the project “Joint Action Against Trafficking in Persons in Georgia”, which is funded by the International Bureau for Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) of the US Department of State.