Anne-Berit Mong Haug
Chair of the Working Group for the Nordic-Baltic Campaign against Trafficking in Women
Ministry of Justice
Police Department
P. O. Box 8005 Dep.,
N-0030 Oslo, Norway
Tel.: +47 22 24 04 23
Fax: +47 22 24 95 30
Email: anne-berit.mong-haug@jd.dep.no

April 5, 2002

Background
In June 2001, at the Women and Democracy conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Gender Equality decided to carry out a joint Nordic-Baltic information campaign against trafficking in women (the “Campaign). This decision was based on a proposal by the Swedish Minister of Gender Equality, Margareta Winberg. (See: Proposal on a campaign in the Nordic and the Baltic countries to combat trafficking in women of June 15, 2001). Later on the same year, in August 2001, the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Justice decided to join the Campaign. (See: Excerpt from the approved summary of the minutes from the meeting of the Nordic Ministers of Justice in Mariehamn on 16 August 2001).

Structure of Campaign
The Campaign is planned and implemented by a Nordic Baltic Working Group against Trafficking in Women (the “Working Group”). The Working Group has 20 members: 16 from the Nordic-Baltic Ministries of Gender Equality and Justice, some of who also act as national coordinators, and four additional national coordinators. Two participants from the Nordic Council of Ministers (the “NCM”) Office in Copenhagen and three participants from the NCM Information Offices in the Baltic countries act as observers. 

Anne-Berit Mong Haug from Norway functions as the chair of the Working Group. She is also responsible for the reports to the Executive Committee on Gender Equality.

Gunilla Ekberg from Sweden is the coordinator for the Campaign (the “Coordinator”). She disseminates information, functions as a discussion partner, and assists in the practical implementation of the campaigns. She is also responsible for writing the Campaign plan proposal and will oversee the evaluation of the Campaign. She will have the ultimate responsibility for the writing of the final report.
 Each member country has established a national working or reference group, which will assist in the planning of the national campaigns.

Mandate and Purpose
The Executive Committee on Gender Equality of the Nordic Council of Ministers adopted, on January 16, 2002, a document setting out the objectives of the Campaign.  The Committee decided that the Campaign should aim to ”increase knowledge and awareness among the public, and to initiate discussion about the problems surrounding the issue of trafficking in women.”(See: The Nordic-Baltic campaign to combat trafficking in women: Mandate for a Nordic-Baltic Working Group of January 16, 2002).

In addition, the Working Group decided at its first meeting, on February 21, 2002, to use the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the “Protocol”) and its definition of trafficking as a point of reference for the Campaign, as well as for the national campaigns. (See: Minutes from Working Group meeting in Vilnius, February 21-22, 2002).

The Protocol emphasizes that all work against trafficking in women should include three components:

• prevention of trafficking;
• protection of those women and children that are victims of trafficking; and
• prosecution of those groups and networks that traffic women and children for prostitution purposes.

Another key aspect of the Campaign is the importance of collaboration with national women’s organizations and local NGOs that have extensive knowledge and experiences in working against prostitution and trafficking. 

Budget
According to the decision by the Executive Committee on Gender Equality (the “Executive Committee”) of the Nordic Council of Ministers on November 20, 2001 and confirmed on March 11, 2002 at an ad hoc meeting of the Executive Committee, DKK 1 million have been set aside for the national campaigns in the Baltic countries. Another DKK 600,000 have been set aside for common projects during the Nordic-Baltic campaign against trafficking in women, as well as for additional funding of projects in the Baltic countries. In addition, the Department of Information at the Nordic Council of Ministers will make available DKK 100,000 for media and information purposes in connection with the seminar in Tallinn, Estonia. (See: Appendix 1).

Time Schedule
The Campaign will be launched on May 29, 2002, in Tallinn, Estonia, with a two-day seminar on trafficking in women. The Swedish Minister of Gender Equality, Margareta Winberg, will open the seminar together with the Norwegian Minister of Equality, Laila Dåvøy. The seminar will be structured around panel debates and workshops on three themes:

• Gender Equality;
• the Media; and
• Legislation and Implementation.

Two other seminars are planned in conjunction with the Campaign; one in Riga, Latvia, in the beginning of October and the final and concluding seminar, which will take place in Vilnius in the end of November 2002.

Target Groups
The Campaign and the national campaigns will target, among other groups: victims and potential victims of prostitution and trafficking in women, buyers and potential buyers of prostituted women and children, official authorities including police, personnel within the justice system, border control and immigration authorities, social and youth workers, health care workers, personnel at embassies and consulates, the business community, hotel owners, teachers and students at high school and university levels, NGOs, as well as members of the public.

Each country will carry out a national campaign against trafficking in women according to their specific conditions and needs.

Other Stakeholders
To avoid duplication and to enhance the impact of the Campaign, its planning and implementation will take into account projects and activities organized by other stakeholders in the region, such as the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

Joint Projects and Activities
A number of joint projects and activities are being planned and will be implemented, based on available funding, during the Campaign:

A brochure will be produced, which includes relevant contact and legal information directed to victims and potential victims of trafficking. This material will be translated into the Baltic languages, as well as into Russian, English and the Nordic languages will be produced. The Swedish Institute has shown interest in providing translations and carrying the costs for the translations. 

Likewise, a brochure describing the Campaign will be produced. This brochure will include information about the Campaign, a Calendar of Events, as well as statements by the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Gender Equality and Ministers of Justice. This brochure will be distributed in the eight countries and will also be available for downloading on the common web site (see below). Both brochures will be developed, designed and printed in the Baltic countries. 

A web site will be created for the Campaign. It will be designed, developed and maintained in one of the Baltic countries, and hosted on the NCM server. Among other things, the web site will include a calendar of events, separate pages for each national campaign, description of the Campaign, links to other relevant home pages and storage for downloadable documents.

Also, a logo for the Campaign will be designed based on tenders accepted by the three coordinators in the Baltic countries.
An article about the campaign will be produced, to be published simultaneously in the daily papers of the eight countries in connection with the launch of the campaign on May 29, 2002. 

In addition, a Nordic-Baltic victim protection seminar for NGOs and government officials will be initiated and organized by Norway. The seminar will take place in connection with the fall seminars in Riga or Vilnius.

Several other projects are being discussed and planned by the Working Group, and will be implemented depending on available funding. 

National Campaigns
See: Appendix 2.

Evaluation and Recommendations
The Campaign is intended as the beginning of long-term collaborative measures against prostitution and trafficking in women between the Nordic and Baltic countries. It is, therefore, essential that the Campaign, as well as the national campaigns, are evaluated and that specific recommendations are given for the continuing regional and national work on these issues. 

As no money is available for an external evaluation, the national coordinators are responsible for preparing reports outlining and evaluating the national campaigns. The Coordinator is responsible for the compilation and preparation of the Campaign report in collaboration with the national coordinators. The Working Group will, based on these reports, discuss and make recommendations for future work and collaboration. The final report for the Campaign will be completed by February 28, 2003, and will then be presented to the Ministers of Gender Equality at their meeting in 2003.