Human trafficking is a global problem which undermines legal immigration regimes and the rule of law and is a fundamental violation of human rights. It is also an extremely profitable business for criminal structures (only drug and arms trafficking are recognized as more profitable businesses). The United States Department of Justice estimates that annual human trafficking from post-Soviet countries equals 25 percent, or 700,000 women and children, of the total number of humans trafficked all over the world.

Frequently, human trafficking is called a modern form of slavery, and the governments of many countries, often with the help of international organizations, develop new legislative acts and concrete arrangements to combat organized crime and render aid to victims of trafficking. Particularly, they conduct training and activities to increase awareness among the population.

One of the most effective measures in countries of departure are informational campaigns that notify young people and other populations about human trafficking and offer basic information about countries of destination to help people make informed decisions whether or not to immigrate.

IOM Kyrgyzstan, with the purpose of disseminating information, has developed and released copies of booklets, brochures, leaflets, stickers, placards, and audio and video materials. All materials are distributed among the population in close cooperation with NGOs, local administrations, and governmental and private organizations.

At present, all NGOs in the network hold various informational counter-trafficking campaigns at the local level. NGOs organize local seminars and training on counter-trafficking issues for activists of local communities, teachers of undergraduate educational institutions, representatives of state authorities and institutions of local government, law enforcement agency workers, schools and hospitals. Owing to NGO network activities, several lessons were held for senior school students all over the Kyrgyz Republic. Reliable and current information is provided to potential migrants, giving them the opportunity to make informed decisions before leaving the country.

In addition, non-governmental organizations conduct activities on counter-trafficking and on preventing child labor exploitation and trafficking in children. In 2006, within the framework of the "Stop Human Trafficking!" project, summer camps for orphans and children from poor and incomplete families were arranged all over the country.

A summer recreation camp for 32 fifth- and sixth-graders took place at the district administrations’ residence in Talas oblast. During the camp, children created shows based on their original scenarios, wrote verses and songs, and organized a drawing competition on labor migration, human trafficking and child labor exploitation. A similar summer camp was organized for 25 children from the Ton and Jety-Oguz districts of Issyk-Kul oblast. Thirty-three pupils, who had never heard of summer camps, enjoyed camp in the Leilek district of Batken oblast. Twenty-five pupils from poor families participated in a drawing competition and learned about personal and social security and illegal border crossing issues. As a result of these camps, children continued to spread the information among their peers, and some of them became volunteers for NGOs, distributing brochures and booklets in schools, on city streets and in villages.

A mobile theatre tour of the play “Tozok” (“Hell”) was another part of the informational campaign. The play, based on the true story of a girl who became a victim of trafficking, was innovative in informing people about the risks and dangers of human trafficking. After the show, NGOs held discussions with the audience, sharing their thoughts and points of view about different types of slavery, trafficking and human exploitation. The audience noted that they had heard about human trafficking in general terms before, but the play helped them to better understand many details of the problem. Also in the audience were those who were hearing for the first time that people could be sold and were being sold in their country.

Young people are one of the main risk groups in the Kyrgyz Republic. Therefore, IOM, in cooperation with partner NGOs, conducts large events, such as KVN and discos, to attract the attention of young people and inform them about the problem of human trafficking in the Kyrgyz Republic.

In order to cover a wide area of the population, social videos were shown on TV, radio ads were broadcast and "Stop Human Trafficking” project drawings and picture exhibitions were held.

Informational campaigns conducted by NGOs with the support of IOM are valuable because they increase access to crucial information about human trafficking by using various forms of communication to reach a wide variety of people.