Socially-responsible business in Ukraine becomes a reality

Despite Ukrainian legislation being anything but conducive to attempts by private business to engage in charitable activities or work together with civic organizations, such cooperation is taking place, and with success.

An example of this is seen in the Memorandum of Intent on countering human trafficking signed on Monday between the Mission of the International Organization for Migration in Ukraine and the oil company “Galnaftogas”.

At the beginning of January 2008, “Galnaftogas placed anti-trafficking billboards at 12 OKKO gas stations in the Lviv, Volyn and Transcarpathian regions. They all carry a telephone number for a nationwide free anti-trafficking help line, initiated as part of a long-term programme of cooperation between IOM and the Ministry for the Family, Youth and Sport.  The billboards are also aimed at encouraging legal and safe forms of migration.

IOM is also cooperating with leader mobile telephone operators in Ukraine (Life, Kyivstar and MTC) which have installed a free mobile number 527 on countering human trafficking.  The number redirects all calls to the IOM nationwide information service, with this providing information on combating human trafficking and on the consequences of illegally entering and staying in other countries. Subscribers can also receive advice about legal means of migration. Since the short number was installed, the nationwide help line 8 800-505-50-10 has received around 7,000 calls redirected from «527».

Marina Hovorukhina