IOFA was funded by the United Nations Development Programme to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of young people regarding trafficking of women and girls and regarding work abroad. Data was compiled from a 34-item self-administered questionairre that drew response from 67 young people. The study found:
- Nearly 20% of a well-educated sample of young people had never heard of the trafficking of women.
- Although the majority of respondents thought that the trafficking of women really does happen, few thought that it could happen in Latvia.
- More than 10% of the sample knew someone who might have been trafficked.
- Approximately 8% thought that it was possible for a friend to be a victim of trafficking.
- The young people watched television more than listened to radio and listened to radio more than read newspapers or magazines. A little more than half of the young people surveyed had ever used the internet, and of those that had used the internet, less than half had internet access at school.
- Forty percent of youth surveyed had seen something about trafficking on television and 8% had heard something about trafficking on the radio.
- The vast majority of young people, if given the opportunity, would go abroad to work.
- Only 18% of young people planning to go abroad were going somewhere where they had friends or family.
- Nearly one third of young people who had worked abroad found their job through acquaintences other than friends or family.
- Although approximately 20% of young people surveyed used a job agency to find a job abroad, 92% of those surveyed did not know how to find out if a job agency was legitimate.
Past Projects
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