The national awareness raising campaign is a long-standing cooperation where IOM Egypt supports the public advocacy efforts lead by the National Coordinating Committee on Preventing and Combatting Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), in adherence to the National Strategy and Action Plan on Preventing and Combatting Illegal Migration. The multifaceted intervention seeks to inform at-risk youth and children of the dangers of irregular migration and trafficking in persons so it would ultimately contribute to curbing the phenomenon of irregular migration.

The implementation of awareness raising activities integrates a number of fine-tuned messages communicated via several arms to raise awareness among the target communities:

Wave I

Introduces the NCCPIM&TIP and its relevant social media platforms with a digital rollout launched in June 2017 for 30 consecutive days. Coupled with celebrity endorsement, the rollout delineates irregular/illegal migration, inclusive of emotional messages supported by empirical data, followed by success stories that offer tangible reference to positive life alternatives. The rollout further integrates messages from IOM Rome’s Aware Migrants, which addresses migrants in transit and potential migrants in their countries of origin, in short video messages featuring testimonials of survivors of abuse endured in transit.

The 30-day posting is followed by the launch of a public service announcement in the form of a TV Ad shedding light on the hardships vulnerable youth face in their attempts to irregular migrate across the Mediterranean. The TV Ad features well-known Captain Hazem Emam as the voice of reason of the 20-year-old protagonist looking to migrate irregularly and risk his life. The personal message “Your family… your dream… your life”, concludes the TV Ad as the slogan.

The TV ad is followed by an outdoor visibility rollout in the six highest sending governorates in Egypt: Behaira, Kafr Elsheikh, Fayoum, Assiut, Dakahleya and Gharbeya to echo the launch of both long version (January 2018) and short version (April 2018).

Wave II

The second wave of the campaign begins with the release of a music video titled “Fares” by Egyptian rapper Zap Tharwat and folklore singer Ahmed Shiba. The Song, echoed by the music video, reflect on irregular migration through a story of friendship, hardships and separation. Fares is a youth at-risk who overlooks the possibilities to build a future in his own country and opts for a dangerous sea journey instead.

The song is followed by on-ground activation of the community outreach arm of the campaign, targeting the six highest sending governorates in Egypt. The community outreach is developed in close coordination with NCCM and intended to build the capacities of community ambassadors to conduct the rollout and sensitize children and youth at-risk of exploitation and irregular migration. The outreach concludes with a competition among children to perform the better informative play, paralleled with exposure to a range of positive life alternatives for the youth.