VIENNA , 22 January 2008 (UNODC) - The Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking will take place in the Austrian capital on 13-15 February 2008 to raise awareness about human trafficking and trigger more effective action to stop a crime that shames us all.
The Forum, which is part of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), will bring together more than a thousand participants from international and non-governmental organizations, governments, academia, the private sector and the entertainment industry.
It will focus on the factors that make people vulnerable to human trafficking, the impact of this crime on victims, and innovative ways to fight human trafficking.
In conjunction with the Vienna Forum, a large outdoor installation called The Journey, supported by Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson, will give members of the public an interactive experience of human trafficking. A film forum on human trafficking will feature premieres, films, documentaries, and debate.
UN.GIFT was launched in March 2007 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) together with the International Labour Organization (ILO); the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR); and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
A press conference will be held on Tuesday 29 January at 11 a.m. local time at the Austrian Journalists Club (Blutgasse 3 in the centre of Vienna) to brief the media on these events.
More information is available at www.ungift.org and http://www.helenbamber.org/AboutJourney.html
For press inquires, please contact:
Mr. Paal Aarsaether
UN.GIFT Spokesman
E-mail: press@ungift.org
Telephone: +43 1 26060 4691
For media accreditation to the Vienna Forum, please visit www.ungift.org.
