CHISINAU, 8 November 2006 - A new website designed to improve co-ordination among anti-trafficking actors has been launched today by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the New Perspectives for Women anti-trafficking project.

The website, called the Moldova Anti-Trafficking and Gender Network, is accessible online at www.atnet.md as of today in English, Romanian and Russian.
"From now on, you can find in ten seconds information on over 350 anti-trafficking activities in Moldova. This is a real change," Antonia DeMeo, the Mission's Senior Anti-Trafficking Advisor, said during the presentation of the website today in Chisinau.

"The centrepiece of the website is its Partner Network, a directory of over 220 non-governmental organizations and 70 governmental bodies working to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings," David Blood, Chief of Party for Winrock International in Moldova, said. "This database will make our work much more efficient."

In addition, the website includes a bulletin board for announcements and invitations to anti-trafficking events, an archive of reports, studies, and other publications on trafficking-related topics.

The idea of creating the website originated from the meetings on anti-trafficking activities organized by the OSCE Mission regularly in Chisinau, as well as in the regions.

"From these meetings it quickly became clear that both individuals and organizations would benefit from a comprehensive directory of organizations and their anti-trafficking activities which they could easily access," DeMeo explained.

In 2005, the OSCE Mission and Winrock International began gathering extensive information on anti-trafficking initiatives and this work continues.

"Winrock interns travel constantly across Moldova and collect information for the Partner Network. This will enable us to update the website on a regular basis," David Blood said.

New Perspectives for Women is financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Winrock International.

To see this press release in its original context, please go here.

Published in: www.osce.org, "New website co-ordinating anti-trafficking activities in Moldova launched," 8 November 2006, Accessed 10 November 2006.