Marking 18 October – European Anti-Trafficking Day in North Macedonia

Radio Pela local media, and secondary school students of Prilep joined their forces to mark 18 October – the European Anti-Trafficking day, to raise awareness about the perils of child trafficking for forced marriages, through a theatrical performance. In this context, in close co-operation with the amateur youth theatre “Free Little Theatre”, from the secondary school Gjorce Petrov in Prilep, the first performance of the original play “The Vicious Circle” will be shown on 18 October 2024 in the cultural centre Marko Cepenkov-Prilep. This play, supported by EU and Council of Europe is composed of four separate stories depicting children trafficked for forced marriages and identifies poverty as the main root cause of this heinous crime. 

“The activities and the results of the anti-trafficking action implemented in North Macedonia within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III” assist the public authorities to comply with the recommendations set out in the monitoring reports on the implementation of the Convention on action against trafficking in human beings by the country, prepared by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking (GRETA). In its 3rd monitoring report on North Macedonia of 2023, GRETA notes that most children identified as potential victims of trafficking have been children from the Roma community subjected to forced begging, forced marriage or sexual exploitation.”, says Oleg SOLDATOV, the Head of Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje.

“In North Macedonia, there are cases where underage girls are forced to get married usually by their parents or immediate family, who in return receive monetary compensation. Our theatrical performance aims at raising public awareness about this criminal social phenomenon.”, affirms Elizabeta FILIPOSKA, from the Radio Pela.

According to the Study on Preventing Child Trafficking for the Purpose of Labour Exploitation, Begging and Forced Marriages, 69% of the identified child trafficking victims in the period between 2019 and 2023 were underage girls forced to get married to much older men. They were usually trafficked by their family members in exchange for a monetary compensation. The victims of forced marriage are subjected to violence, sexual and labour exploitation and domestic servitude. The above Study was commissioned by the EU and Council of Europe anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia and endorsed by the Subgroup on combat against child trafficking of the National anti-trafficking commission.

The theatrical play “The Vicious Circle” is part of a larger public awareness initiative tackling forced marriages, organised by Radio Pela with the support of EU and Council of Europe. The theatrical play will be performed in four municipalities in Bitola, Krivogastani, Dolneni and Krusevo in North Macedonia. The initiative also encompasses a radio play on forced marriages, which has been broadcasted on 3, 7 and 17 October by the national radio station Kanal 77, local radio stations Alexandar the Great – Kicevo, Bum-Kumanovo, Holiday – Prilep, Pela- Krivogastani, Radio Kocani, and the internet radio MОF. Informational materials on the risks of trafficking of children for marriage purposes are being distributed as part of this initiative which will continue until January next year.

This initiative implemented by Radio Pela is supported by the action “Strengthening anti – trafficking action in North Macedonia” within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, which is assisting public authorities and related actors in the field in their efforts to fight trafficking and to help child trafficking victims.

Source link : https://www.coe.int/en/web/skopje/-/marking-18-october-european-anti-trafficking-day-in-north-macedonia-theatre-performance-by-high-school-students-of-prilep-depicts-the-drama-of-forced-marriages

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Publish date : 2024-10-21 12:08:00

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