Ukraine: Jamala becomes UN Goodwill Ambassador against human trafficking

by Roy Knoops 716 views

Ukrainian artist and 2016 Eurovision winner Jamala is the latest United Nations Ambassador of Goodwill in the battle against human trafficking.

Jamala supports the work of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Migration Agency, and she will star in a special Ukrainian media campaign. The advertisement will appear on the Ukrainian TV-channels on 18 October 2017, the European Day Against Human Trafficking.

Human trafficking and modern forms of slavery are a global problem, and also harm the Ukrainian people. As Jamala stated on her official Facebook page:

In Ukraine, a lot of people live on the verge of poverty and are ready to work anywhere and in all conditions. They become, as a rule, victims of human traffickers and slavery. Unfortunately, the number of victims is increasing every year. This campaign, of course, will not solve the problem, but may attract the attention of the media, officials, and society. The main goal is to warn Ukrainians that they need to be very careful when they consider job offers abroad.

Джамала стала Послом доброї волі із протидії торгівлі людьми. Вона підтримала багаторічну роботу Міжнародної організації…

Опубліковано Jamala | Джамалою 12 жовтня 2017 р.

Thomas Lothar Weiss, head of the IOM in Ukraine, applauds Jamala’s participation as Goodwill Ambassador:

We greatly appreciate Jamala’s participation in our campaign to prevent modern slavery. We believe that Jamala will help save many human destinies.

According to a IOM study, more than 230,000 Ukrainians were victims of human trafficking since 1991. Responding to questions of a recent IOM study, approximately one-fifth of Ukraine’s population said they would be willing to illegally cross borders, work in locked premises or hand over their passport to an employer for a job.

The IOM has been helping almost 14,000 victims of modern slavery, since 2000. The IOM has detected some 639 victims of human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation in 23 countries, including Ukraine.

Jamala was already involved in the 2013 MTV Exit-campaign against human trafficking, a cooperation with the IOM.

Enjoy Jamala performing her winning 2016 Eurovision song, 1944: