Cairo, Egypt, 2 December 2020 - The National Coordinating Committee for Combating and Preventing Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM&TIP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are to hold an awareness-raising campaign on combating and preventing human trafficking during the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) 42^nd edition taking place this year. The campaign includes a panel, on the 6^th of December, titled “The Role of Cinematography in Combatting Human Trafficking” and providing a trophy, on the 10^th of December, to the movie that best captures the reality of human trafficking.

H.E Ambassador Naela Gabr, Chairperson of NCCPIM&TIP, emphasized that “NCCPIM&TIP initiated the proposal to collaborate and cooperate with CIFF which is one of only 15 festivals globally accorded as a category “A” status by the International Federation of Film Producers Association (FIAPF). It is the oldest and only internationally accredited annually running film festival in the Arab world, Africa, and the Middle East. Every year, over 30,000 visitors and millions of viewers follow the activities of the festival, especially the opening and closing ceremony. Based on that, it’s a rich terrain to advocate and raise awareness to the visitors, audiences and viewers.”

NCCPIMTIP is simultaneously launching the second phase of an awareness-raising campaign that aims at protecting and providing support to victims of human trafficking through mobilizing citizens to report any crimes via the hotlines assigned by various national councils of human rights for that purpose. Worth mentioning that NCCPIM&TIP has been positioned as the focal point for all policies, national guidelines, action plans and programs related to the issue of combating and preventing human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

The panel entitled "The Role of Cinematography in Combatting Human Trafficking" will host H.E. Ambassador Naela Gabr, NCCPIM&TIP Chairperson, Ms. Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Laurent de Boeck, IOM Chief of Mission to Egypt, and the two prominent actors and IOM Goodwill Ambassadors – Mr. Asser Yassin and Ms. Nelly Karim, and will be moderated by Ms. Mariam Farrag, Head of Corporate Sustainability and Social Impact at the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) Group.

Mrs. Cristina Albertin mentioned that: “For cinema – the personal story of one individual who was trafficked, rescued, and survived is one of the most compelling stories possible. Efforts by cinema and film festivals, such as the one the campaign to be in, can expose the audience to various angles of the crime, the victims’ suffering, and the difficult work of law enforcement institutions in dismantling criminal networks and the power of survivors to overcome.”

Mr. De Boeck clarified that “by nature, trafficking is a crime that always caught the attention of cinematographers. This crime shows one of the most hideous sides of humankind: exploitation of human beings by other human beings taking advantage of their weaknesses or vulnerabilities. The depiction of human trafficking in films matters as it shapes the general understanding of this crime, which influences itself the law and policies developed to tackle human trafficking.”

This campaign is supported by the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Cairo, and it will be attended by diplomats, policymakers, experts in the field, journalists, members of the movie industry, and others.

For more information, please contact Omar Awwad at IOM Egypt, Tel: +20 1032 049 144, Email: oawwad@iom.int