The Ministry of Interior participated in the project “Integrated approach for prevention of labour exploitation in origin and destination countries” funded by the Directorate General Home Affairs of the European Commission which general objective is to decrease labour exploitation in origin, transit and destination countries.
In the framework of the project a prevention campaign have been implemented which aimed to increase public awareness about the risks associated to labour exploitation and to increase the awareness of the population, policy makers, potential victims of human trafficking on the dimension and forms of labour exploitation. The prevention campaign has officially started on 26 June 2013 with a press conference held in the Ministry of Interior and finished on 14 July.
Target groups of the campaign
Target groups of the campaign were public at large, aged between 18 and 40 who are willing to work abroad, high school students aged between 14 and 18 who are primarily attending secondary vocational school or vocational training and decision makers responsible for preventing and combating trafficking for labour exploitation.
The message of the campaign
„To work is a right to exploit the work is a crime! Together we can fight human trafficking!”
Message of the campaign have been widely disseminated through the campaign materials – poster, USB memory stick, brochure, TV and radio spot – to the target groups with help of the partner institutions.
Partners
In the implementation of the campaign the following partners took place:
- Ministry of Interior Department for European Cooperation, Department of Support Co-ordination, Press Department,
- Gerilla Press Ltd.,
- Office of Public Administration and Justice, Department of Victim Support and Legal Assistance,
- Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
- Crime Prevention Department of the National Police Headquarters,
- EURES Department of the National Labour Office.
Campaign activities
a) Direct meetings with the target groups
For the successful implementation of the campaign direct meetings were organised with the target groups. Representatives of the target groups were reached through festivals, the National Coordination Mechanism, NGO Roundtable, press conference. In the framework of the meetings the following activities were implemented:
- Awareness raising on the phenomenon of labour exploitation, risks of working abroad and preventive measures
- Broadcasting of the TV spot
- Dissemination of posters, brochures and USB memory sticks
- Questionnaires
• Press conference: The campaign has officially started with an opening press conference held in the Ministry of Interior at 11.00 26 June 2013. Members of the National Coordination Mechanism took part on the event. Ms Krisztina Berta, Deputy State Secretary, National Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator and Ms Ágnes Németh Head of Crime Prevention Department of the Hungarian Police Headquarters presented the campaign, the phenomenon of labour exploitation, important preventive measures before working abroad and the results of the fight against human trafficking in Hungary. Representatives of MTI – Hungarian news agency (http://www.mti.hu/mti/Default.aspx), kormany.hu (http://www.kormany.hu/hu), Echo TV (http://www.echotv.hu/), Zsaru Magazin (http://www.zsaru.hu/) and Press Department of the Ministry of Interior were present.
• KÖZÉRT Youth Information and Counselling Office (http://www.kozertiroda.hu/hu/): Roma people are especially vulnerable to human trafficking and labour exploitation. The Office was an ideal place for broadcasting the TV spot, filling in questionnaires, disseminating campaign materials, raising awareness on the phenomenon of labour exploitation, risks of working abroad and prevention.
• Festivals
- Hegyalja Festival (http://hegyaljafesztival.hu/): Hegyalja Festival is organised every summer in Tokaj in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County which is an especially important source region of victims. The festival was held this year 25 – 30 June 2013. According to the information and data available 80.000 visitors attended the Festival. On 28 June 2013 the TV spot was broadcasted, the visitors filled in questionnaires and received campaign materials.
- EFOTT Festival (http://www.efott.hu/): EFOTT Festival has been held since 1976 every summer, this year it was held 25 – 30 June 2013 in Zánka in Veszprém County. According to the information and data available 88.000 visitors attended the Festival. 28 June was the day of young employees, TV spot was broadcasted for the visitors who filled in questionnaires and received campaign materials.
- VOLT Festival (http://www.sziget.hu/volt): VOLT Festival has been held since 1992 every summer, this year it was held 02 – 06 July 2013 in Sopron, Győr-Moson-Sopron County. According to the information and data available 118.000 visitors attended the Festival. On 03 July the TV spot was broadcasted for the visitors who filled in questionnaires and received campaign materials.
- Sziget Festival (http://www.sziget.hu/fesztival): The Sziget Festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe, it has been held since 1993 every August. The Ministry of Interior organised at the “Civil Sziget” a 5 day long awareness raising campaign in 2012 and reached almost 1000 young people. According to the information and data available almost 400.000 visitors attend the Festival, almost 50% of them are coming from the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. Although the date of the Festival falls outside the implementation period of the campaign we are going to organise this year between 07-11 August 2013 again an awareness raising campaign. In the framework of our activity the phenomenon of labour exploitation, risks of working abroad and preventive measures will be presented and the TV spot will be broadcasted. Visitors could take part in a “human-trafficking quiz”, interactive games and would receive gifts. We are going to disseminate the remained USB memory sticks too.
b) Dissemination of campaign materials
With help of the partner authorities campaign materials were widely disseminated.
Brochures, posters and USB memory sticks were disseminated at direct meetings (festivals, meetings, press conference) at victim support services, legal assistance services, probation supervision services, justice services, consulates, embassies, police offices, county government offices, regional offices of the Office of Immigration and Nationality, family support centres, labour offices, EURES offices, regional office of the Equal Treatment Authority, mothers home, social care service, community employment office, volunteer centre.
TV spot was broadcasted at
- the anti-human trafficking website of the Ministry of Interior (http://emberkereskedelem.kormany.hu/megkezdodott-az-emberkereskedelem-elleni-strategia-vegrehajtasanak-elokeszitese, https://thb.kormany.hu/the-government-has-begun-implementing-the-new-national-strategy-against-trafficking-in-human-beings),
- facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thbHungary),
- youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoShReCIId4),
- TV and radio channels, direct meetings with the target groups.
c) Pre-activity and post-activity questionnaires
At the direct meetings (NGO Roundtable, National Coordination Mechanism, press conference, meeting with the colleagues of several authorities, Hegyalja Festival, EFOTT Festival, VOLT Festival KÖZÉRT Youth Information and Counselling Office) 200 Pre-activity questionnaire for authorities/members of the community, 189 Post-activity questionnaire for authorities/members of the community, 136 Pre-activity questionnaire for high school students, 142 Post-activity questionnaire for high-school students has been filled in.
Visibility of the campaign in the media
The topic and the message of the campaign were present in the following TV and radio channels, newspapers and websites:
Duna TV, TV2, hatoscsatorna.hu, RádióM, 99.4 Sunshine FM, Lánchíd Rádió, Magyar Hírlap, MTI, Hvg, index.hu, metropol, kormany.hu, emberkereskedelem.kormany.hu, thb.kormany.hu, Zsaru Magazin, jogiforum.hu, hrportal.hu, pestisracok.hu, index.hu, borsonline.hu, ahirek.hu, belfold.hirfal.hu, facebook, youtube, fideszoroszlany.hu, figyel.hu, frissvideok.hu, haon.hu, hirek.me, hirek.animare.hu, hirekma.hu, hir.tv, kozpontiadatnyilvantarto.hu, kutatasi.blogspot.hu, magyarorszag.hirszemle.net, mai24.net, propeller.hu, rendortabornokokegyesulete.hu, hu.nykom.hu, szon.hu, sztarold.hu, tenyek24.tk, velemenyezd.hu, hirek.ws, kinehagyd.hu, borsod-abauj-zemplenmegyeportal.hu, gyor-moson-sopronmegyeportal.hu, nyiregyhazablog.hu, debrecenblog.hu, kaposvarblog.hu, gyorblog.hu
The most vulnerable source regions are in Hungary Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, therefore we focused on these counties besides of the capital city.
Results of the campaign
• Wide dissemination of the campaign materials
• Wide broadcasting of TV and radio spots
• Press releases
• Target groups have more information about the phenomenon of labour exploitation and the risks of working abroad
In the short time available the campaign has been successfully implemented, the stated objectives have been realized, the campaign materials and the message of the campaign have been widely disseminated, the target groups were made aware on the phenomenon of labour exploitation, the risks of working abroad and on the important preventive measures.