“Equal to Equal” – about combating human trafficking for Chernihiv teenagers

Active teenagers from Chernihiv region learned how to avoid modern slavery by going to work and how to teach their peers about it as part of the “Young Activist School”. The training was held on May 22-24, 2015 at the Educational House of Human Rights in Chernihiv and was organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights for students of vocational schools and boarding schools in Chernihiv region.

The main component of the course was devoted to the basics of coaching. Pupils and students learned to be persuasive, conduct group exercises and organize educational quests to help their peers better learn the material. During the classes, future young trainers mastered the methodology of coaching, mastered the causes and consequences of the problem of human trafficking, in a playful way refuted common myths about employment abroad, learned to prepare their own information events, which they will then present to their peers. Each graduate of the program, having received the appropriate certificate, must organize at least one action or initiative (flash mob, performance, mini-project, drawing competition) in their educational institution.

“The idea is to initiate a dialogue between teenagers about safe employment and prevent them from getting into a situation of human trafficking, so that they can conduct mini-trainings for each other,” explains the head of programs of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

Natalia Piddubna

. – Since January 2015, we have been implementing a project aimed at raising awareness among students of vocational and technical educational institutions and boarding schools in Chernihiv region on the issues of combating human trafficking and safe migration, since this category is the largest risk group. In particular, the program involves training a group of young trainers who, using the “peer-to-peer” method, will convey information to their peers about the scale and relevance of human trafficking in Ukraine and the world, since it is peers who tend to trust each other more and listen more to the opinions of their peers.

The simplest rules, outlined to the participants of the School by specially invited trainers of the Ternopil City Women’s Club “Rebirth of the Nation”

Zoryana Barchu

and

Oksana Shlyusar

: when getting a job with unverified employers, carefully review the terms of the contract, make a copy of the documents and do not give them to anyone, and also inform relatives and loved ones about your whereabouts.

The participants of the training admit that it has greatly changed their attitude to the problem. “I could not even imagine that it is so close, in our country,” says Andriy, a student of the College of Economics and Technology of the ChNTU. His colleague Vitalina adds, “Perhaps our neighbors are already in such danger, and we must prevent this. Or even me personally – anyone can get into such trouble, but for us this danger is less, because we are aware of it.” Having graduated from the School of Young Activist, they hope that they will be able to present the material to their peers in an unconventional and interesting way.

Chernihiv region occupies one of the leading places in terms of the number of labor migrants in Ukraine, and according to human rights activists, more and more people are at risk of becoming victims of labor or sexual exploitation. Residents of agrarian and the least economically developed regions of the region with high unemployment rates, particularly among young people, are especially at risk. Therefore, the practical goal of developing a youth network of volunteers is to monitor their campaigns and initiatives, promote preventive, preventive and advocacy ideas in the youth environment.

The Young Activist School is organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights with the support of the International Organization for Migration through funding from the Government of Canada and in cooperation with the Educational House of Human Rights in Chernihiv and the All-Ukrainian Educational Program “Understanding Human Rights”.