OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Trafficking of women has reached alarming proportions in the European Union (EU). Many of them are migrant women who are tricked and forced into a cycle of violence and dependence. Even women who are in prostitution voluntarily are subject to a certain degree of sexual and physical abuse by punters and pimps.

Amnesty for Women, a human rights NGO which provides legal and social counselling to migrant women, migrant sex workers and trafficked women, wanted to reduce the number of trafficked women who are exploited and also the number who are tricked into prostitution.

This is how Femmigration came about, with the objective of advising migrant women of their rights and of support services within the EU. The beneficiaries of this programme are migrant women from non-EU states who work in the sex industry in the EU. It also benefits women who are intending to migrate to the EU by providing them information that can prevent them from being trapped by traffickers.

Femmigration's strategy was to build a website that would provide information about legal provisions with regards to migrant workers and prostitutes in the country of transit and country of destination. The information can be used by the women themselves, or by aid organisations in the countries of origin, transit countries and target countries.

Women receive advice about their legal situation surrounding migration and sex work in the target countries, about their rights as victims of human trafficking and of crimes, as well as support services offered by NGOs, and about health services. This preventive strategy also complements efforts to prosecute the offenders. Another important result of Femmigration is the creation of a network of organisations working in these fields.

Femmigration's work promotes respect for those women who freely choose to work in the field of prostitution. They abrogate a more tolerant society that respects the personal decision of every human being. As much as information has been a tool for empowerment, without ICT and the Internet, the impact of Femmigration would have been limited.

From ICT Success Stories in Development (Published by Global Knowledge Partnership)