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Mr. Vitalie left Southeast Moldova in order to search for work in Slovakia. Moldova is industrially one of the least developed and poorest countries in Europe. He lived in Slovakia for two months illegally. He could not find any work and decided to return home with the assistance of IOM that provided him with further support after his return…

You can see the full story of Vitalie Mereuta in the documentary film on the YouTube page of IOM. For other stories of migrants returning home from Slovakia with the assistance of IOM, visit www.avr.iom.sk.

Košice – European Capital of Culture 2013 started second year of the Diversity Festival on 8th October 2013. The installment Hello&Goodbye was the attraction of festival that presented life stories of migrants living in Košice or Slovaks who lived abroad. Eleven public places in Košice offered the possibility to listen to the migrants' testimonies. Some of them were installed directly at places where migrants work as Thai massage salon – Baandokkoon, restaurant Passage 2 India or Turkish Kebab House. The testimonies were compiled and recorded by Austrian artists from uniT Kunstlabor Graz in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Knowledge about migration and lives of migrants in Slovakia, better cooperation among institutions and new skills for communication and work with people from other cultures are supposed to help state and self-government employees in their day-to-day work with migrants. Another 39 employees of Alien Police, Labour Offices, District Offices, Labour Inspectorates, Centres for Legal Aid, City Councils and a health insurance company from all over Slovakia took the opportunity of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and participated in the trainings in October 2013. The services of trained employees could smooth the integration of migrants.

The fourth issue of the e-newsletter of the Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Slovakia informs about IOM activities that took place from July to September 2013.

Newsletter of the IOM Office in the Slovak Republic, Issue 04/2013

On Friday 18 October 2013 the Development Day 2013 took place at the Old Market Hall (Stará tržnica) in Bratislava where organizations active in international development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and global education in Slovakia presented their work and results.  International Organization for Migration (IOM) was also present among other organizations involved in helping people and development activities beyond the Slovak borders.  

From April to September 2013, IOM delivered 7 trainings for professionals who can encounter victims of human trafficking in their work. Trainings should help them take prevention measures among vulnerable groups and identify human trafficking victims so that they can be provided with adequate assistance. Altogether 158 employees of municipalities, leisure centres, pastoral centres, Social Development Fund, social street workers, employees of emergency medical assistance, and municipal police corps members attended the trainings. IOM training was also included in the pre-departure consular preparations of employees of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

In July 2013, two new groups of refugees arrived to Slovakia, both of whom the Slovak Republic provided with a temporary shelter on its territory. The refugees are temporarily accommodated in an Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in Humenne which is set up in an asylum facility of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic. During their stay in the Centre the refugees will undergo medical examinations, language courses and complete the preparation for their lives in new country.

The World Migration Report 2013: Migrant Well-Being and Development, launched on 13 September 2013 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, presents for the first time a global picture of the well-being of migrants.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the coordinator of the Slovak EMN National Contact Point organised educational seminar entitled Labour Migration Opportunities and Challenges. The seminar took place in Bratislava on 20 - 22 August 2013. 38 representatives of state and public administration, non-governmental organisations and academia attended the seminar as participants.

On 21 August 2013, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the coordinator of the National Contact Point EMN in Slovakia hosted screening of the documentary film The Tree Workers Case by Daniela Agostini. The screening was followed by a debate with representatives of the non-governmental sector and IOM.