Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern EuropeBulgariaThis is a new shelter, managed by IOM, and has the capacity to provide longtermlodging and social care for trafficked women.Animus/La Strada assists trafficked women referred to NGOs working in thedestination countries, or when contacted directly by the victim or by her family.Police also used to refer trafficked women and girls to La Strada, althoughsince the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the policeand IOM, the police have been cooperating with IOM, and IOM is not co-operatingwith La Strada.Animus/La Strada provides assistance and support for returning traffickedwomen, including arrival assistance, placement in safe accommodation, directassistance and reintegration. La Strada also runs the Centre for Rehabilitationof Women Adolescents and Children Victims of Violence, which offers the followingcore programmes:• Help line for the victims of violence and trafficking;• Crisis unit with accommodation, which gave consultations to 39 traffickedwomen in 2000 and 67 in 2001;• Social programme to assist with administrative and institutionalrequirements;• Psychotherapeutic programme. Twenty-three trafficked women tookpart in the consultative and therapeutic programmes in 2000.Even though Animus/La Strada was, until the IOM programme started, themain organisation providing support to trafficked women, and still is able tooffer unique support, especially to traumatised victims, there is no co-operationand co-ordination of activities between IOM and La Strada. According toLa Strada, IOM operates as a competing NGO that tries to monopolise themarket and not as an international agency aiming to initiate and support sustainableprojects managed by local groups.58Other local NGOs, from the network of women NGOs working against violencealso provide reintegration assistance and social support in the cases wheretrafficked women are referred to them by IOM or Animus/La Strada:• Nadya Centre for Women Victims of Violence (NC) in Sofia, works inco-operation with IOM in the field of reintegration, providing safeaccommodation, psychiatric counselling and long-term post-traumatreatment and care as well as case management. NC also co-operatesin the field of prevention, providing psychological assistance andtraining to specific target groups in Bulgarian high schools;• Neglected Children Society (NCS), Sofia works in the field of preventionas well as in the field of social and psychological support to girlsfrom child delinquency institutions. NCS assists through providingpsychological and legal assistance and consultations to underage girlswho are the victims of forced prostitution and trafficking. NCS has aco-ordinating role with all relevant institutions in the country;• SOS Families in Distress in Varna, assists in the field of reintegration,assistance and support to trafficked women in the region of NortheastBulgaria;• Demetra Association in Burgas, assists in the field of reintegrationassistance and support to trafficked women in the region of SoutheastBulgaria;• Open Gate Foundation in Pleven, co-operates in the field of reintegration,assistance and support to trafficked women;• Youth Counsel Centre in Blagoevgrad, co-operates in the field prevention,help-line support and safe accommodation in the region ofSouthwest Bulgaria;