Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) has introduced new educational materials to sensitize schoolchildren aged between 15-17 years on the dangers of human trafficking.

The new curriculum was developed under an IOM regional counter-trafficking programme targeting secondary schools in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Materials were designed by a team of national experts comprising pedagogues, lawyers, psychologists and sociologists and include trafficking prevention manuals for students and teachers, an information booklet for parents and awareness-raising materials for public outreach. These include educational posters and public service announcements.

The new counter-trafficking materials will complement existing Social Science courses addressing key issues such as the root causes and types of human trafficking, youth as an especially vulnerable group, and assistance to and protection of victims of trafficking. Prior to its introduction nationwide, the curriculum was piloted in 18 schools, followed by country-wide teacher training of 1,500 educators from 1,420 schools in addition to 200 vocational education instructors.

The Deputy Minister of Education and Science has commended the initiative while noting ongoing challenges such as awareness-raising among university students, providing further training for school teachers and strengthening cooperation between academic institutions, civil society and law enforcement on combating human trafficking.

"IOM welcomes the strong collaboration with the Armenian Ministry of Education and Sciences which has been pivotal to putting in place the new curriculum and looks forward to supporting further educational efforts to preventing human trafficking," says IOM Chief of Mission in Armenia, Ilona Terminasyan.

The US State Department’s 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report identifies Armenia as a source country for women trafficked as sex workers and men for forced labour and as both a source and destination country for women trafficked for forced labour.

For further information: International Organization for Migration