The first helpline dedicated to providing information and
counselling on regular migration and on trafficking issues has been
launched by IOM in Albania in close coordination with Albanian
authorities and the UN's Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The helpline will not only provide information, but also direct
assistance and support to trafficking victims and potential victims
of human trafficking.

Albania is a source, transit and destination country for victims
of trafficking and is also affected by irregular migration to
Western Europe through its land borders.

The helpline - 0800 1212 - part of an IOM programme funded by
the British embassy in Albania and a UNODC programme aimed at
reinforcing border controls and fighting organized crime, is
managed by the Albanian National Coordinator for Anti-Trafficking
and is operational 24 hours a day.

"This helpline offers people the opportunity, in full respect of
their privacy, to ask for assistance," said Iva Zajmi, Albanian
Deputy Minister of Interior and National Coordinator for
Anti-Trafficking.

Helpline promotional materials will be handed out to travellers
at borders crossings as well as information material on the dangers
of irregular migration, in particular, human trafficking. The
Helpline number will also be publicized on billboards and on the
four main national television channels for three months.

For further information,  please contact:

Miriam Neziri Angoni

Public Information Officer

Tel: ++ 355 4 257 836.

E-mail: "mailto:mneziri@iomtirana.org.al" target="_blank" title=
"">mneziri@iomtirana.org.al