IRISSocial and Labour Inclusion

of Trafficked Persons

Stana Buchowska, PhD

Independent Expert and International Consultant

Helsinki, 19 March 2014

• Programme developed by La Strada Foundation Against Trafficking in Persons and Slavery in Warsaw as an outcome of a pilot programme for 230 participants - trafficked girls, women and men;

• Based on analyses of trafficking cases where victims were not able to regain control over their own lives.

Prevention dimension

• Programme of social and labour inclusion as a prevention of re-trafficking and harm reduction measure;

Recommendations

1. Full reintegration process of trafficked persons has to comprise of social and labour inclusion programme;

2. It should be individually designed and based on professional needs and risk assessment of each person;

3. Empowerment and victim’s centred approach is a base of the entire inclusion process.

3 modules of the programme

1. Victim’s identification, crisis intervention, social, psychological, medical and legal help, safe accommodation;

2. Motivation and empowering trainings, coaching in a process of job seeking, vocational and educational courses;

3. Internship in a selected workplace, employment found by the trafficked person.

The final result of a pilot programme is a

Model of Social and Labour Inclusion of Trafficked Persons

mainstream to the national social policy, within the broader area of social and professional inlcusion of marginalised groups.

Partnership of public institutions and non-governmental organisations

• IRIS programme developed a multidisciplinary approach, with a unique and complementary role of each partner:

• Centre for the Advancement of Women (Foundation);

• Labour Office of Warsaw;

• Social Welfare Centre, district City Centre, Warsaw;

• Ministry of Social Policy – Department of Social Assistance and Social Integration;

• Ministry of Economy and Labour – Department of Labour Market.  

ROLES of the PARTNERS

• Centre for the Advancement of Women (Foundation) is responsible for employment awareness and professional orientation workshops and coaching.

Labour Office of Warsaw

•searching of employers;•delivering information about labour market.

Ministry of Economy and Labour – Labour Market Department 

• mainstreaming of the project’s results• information of labour offices in Poland about the

IRIS project • intervention support in particular cases

 Ministry of Social Policy – Department of Social Assistance and Social Integration

• mainstreaming of the project’ results • information about the project to all social

welfare centres in Poland • intervention support in particular cases

Social Welfare Center, Warsaw, district City Centre,

• social support for victims (consultation)

Average beneficiary of the project :

• is between 17 – 25 years old;

• has finished elementary, professional or secondary school;

• lives in the city;

• became a victim of trafficking in human beings abroad;

• before making a decision to leave home country s/he was unemployed and/or s/he was in difficult personal situation;

• can’t return to her/his family, home and her/his local society (s/he is afraid of personal safety and of reaction of her/his family and relatives);

• needs social, medical, psychological and legal support.

IRIS client track

CLIENT

TRAINER AJS

COACH

SCHOOL

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

INTERNSHIP

Projekt IRIS

COORDINATION SCHEME

Statistics

• Identification of 170 victims of trafficking in human beings;

• 85 persons took part in employment workshops, motivation and empowering trainings;

• 43 persons attended vocational courses;• 11 persons continued their (previously interrupted) high school or trade

school education;• 54 persons completed their internship with selected employers;

• 37 got job shortly after completing their internship and/or education;• 7 persons dropped out the programme.

Multiplication, know how transfer, best practice exchange

IRIS Programme became a part of two international platforms for cooperation and best practice exchange:

1. HEADWAY

2. LIFT

 

HEADWAY – Improving Social Intervention Systems for Victims of

Trafficking1. Osservatorio e Centro Risorse sul Traffico di Esseri Umani –

Italy2. Reintegrationsforderung von Menschenhandelsopfern –

Starkung nationaler Akteure; Germany3. Integration of Women Involved in Prostitution into the Labour

Market; Estonia4. Cooperacao-Accao-Investigacao-Mundvisao; Portugal5. Prekybos zmonemis integracija ir reintegracija I darbine

visuomene; Lithuania

II. LIFT

1. Taking Care; Italy

2. ICLUSION II – Integrationsnetzwerk fur Migrantinnen im Land Brandenburg; Germany

3. PONTEST una rete per l’inserimento degli immigrati; Italy

4. CREATE Diversity in Employment; UK