ANTI - HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SAFE MIGRATION CAMPAIGN

Pursat province, Bakan District - On Wednesday 3rd January 2018 from 7.30am to 11.30am the CHOICES (Child Health Outcomes Improved through Community Empowered Solutions) for Children project of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cambodia in Pursat Province organized a campaign under the topics of “Anti-human trafficking/Safe migration, including proper complementary feeding to children 6 to 59 months old in migration” and “Tobacco of Health (TOH)”

The CHOICES for Children project of ADRA Cambodia was funded by the ADRA Australia and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with getting support from local authorizes has made the campaign event in Snam Preas Commune, Bakan district, under the Chair of Deputy District Governor, Mr. Seun Saksaran.

A total of 273 participants joined in a march through Snam Preas commune, calling slogan “THE ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SAFE MIGRATION MUST BE STARTED FROM YOU”

“WE ALTOGETHER COMBAT AGAINST THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING” and appealing to community members to stop illegal labor migration to other countries. The illegal migration makes you illegal and losing your rights. You will get harm from illegal labor migration.

Calling slogan “STOP SMOKING! THE BAD IMPACT ON HEALTH AND MONEY IS FROM TOBACCO USE”. Smoking makes you wasting your money on tobacco products that destroy your health. Participants, including school students, school teachers, village and commune facilitators, policemen and local authorities, carried banners displaying related key messages and slogans of migration and safety, tobacco or health. They wore t-shirts and distributed posters with messages about safe migration, bad impact of tobacco use and tobacco destroys lives.

Mr. Rith Saray the CHOICES project Manager and the Representative of ADRA Cambodia in Pursat, in his address during the event, the ADRA Cambodia Representative read a summary report relative to the topics and he appreciated RCFs, local authorities, ADRA staff that often promote the anti-human trafficking/Safe migration and the bad use of tobacco in Pursat, especially in Bakan`s villages.

Mr. Seun Saksaran, the deputy district governor of Bakan, showed the willingness of local authorities to work closely with ADRA, CHOICES for Children project to make awareness on anti-trafficking/Safe migration and on bad impact of tobacco use. On the occasion, he appealed all people to have legal migration by filling documents, searching information and getting passport, etc. in order to get safe in migration. He appreciated to ADRA and said strongly support to the activities of CHOICES for Children project, the local authorities have strong commitment to work with ADRA to reduce the victims from human trafficking and migration and people who use tobacco.

During this event the one woman and one man who used to do illegal migration to Thailand, both said they lost their rights, did hard works, often escaped from Thai policemen and authorities and had wage cheat by employers, then they returned homes with the empty hands. They came back homes without money. They promised to share to other people to make migration with the formal documents. As well, the Deputy District Governor said he is trying to stop smoking in this few weeks after he smoked for 39 years (since 1978). He said this event encouraged and helped in cease smoking. He promised to stop smoking from now.

 In 30 minutes before the end of event, there was asking the participants to answers to the quiz and they got the prize when they gave the correction answers.

ADRA Cambodia believes that this TOH and anti-trafficking/Safe migration campaign will help to reduce the victims from human trafficking/migration and smoking throughout Bakan district and in Pursat of Cambodia and promote a healthy life during and after migration, including without SMOKE.