Kosovo New campaign "begging handicaps my future"

4 Aug 2008

Pristine, 7 August 2008 – Terre des hommes together with the OSCE launched a public information campaign against child trafficking and forced begging in Kosovo with the message “begging handicaps my future” in the frame of TACT Project. The two Organizations aim for this campaign is to raise public awareness on the danger that by giving money to children beggars on the streets destroys their future and encourages them to continue to beg, and this may also lead to child trafficking. The public needs to be aware that this is a serious violation of children’s rights. An estimated number of 400 children have been found exploited as beggars, since the beginning of TACT Project implemented by Terre des hommes team in Kosovo.

The panel of the press conference was composed of representatives from Tdh, OSCE, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Kosovo Government.

For this campaign, the media showed a big interest. After the press conference, the campaign was illustrated in all Kosovo’s and international Medias such as RTK, TV 21, KTV, Voice of America, Vizion +, Radio UNMIK, Radio Free Europe. The head of office to Terre des hommes in Pristine also gave several interviews to journalist of National and International TV’s, and radios.

Through this child anti-trafficking/begging campaign it is expected to show results in increase of the understanding among people about the forced begging mechanisms, about citizen responsibilities and about right based options to give support, through recognized services such as the Center for Social Work. As a result, the action will encourage the people to stop giving money to children on the streets and therefore lower the “income” of the children, which will lead to a drop on the “demand” side. As a consequence fewer children should be exploited. In addition, as well this will discourage traffickers from sending children onto the streets to beg, as begging will become a non-profitable activity.

This awareness campaign will be broadcasted for one month through TV Spots, Radio Jingles and Newspaper announcements. Billboards and Posters are distributed on the mains streets of Kosovo. Also in the main towns of Kosovo the informative leaflets will be distributed as well from Tdh project team and students for the large public.

Campaign materials

TV Spot

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Download the TV Spot: [AVI | WMV]

Leaflet
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Posters
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