This project contributed to international joint efforts to combat and prevent trafficking in women, concentrating on challenges faced by the Baltic States. The purpose of this project was to increase the awareness concerning trafficking in women among the general public, potential victims in particular, as well as among relevant authorities and NGOs in the Baltic States. On the practical level, the project aimed at preventing future trafficking in women, especially from the Baltic region to EU member states through encouraging taking motivated decisions regarding offers to work abroad. The prevention activities carried out in the framework of the project also contribute to reducing trans-border organized crime and increases regional stability. The duration of the project was 12 months, later extended for an additional 3 months.

To achieve these goals, the initial stage of the IOM counter-trafficking project carried out a number of research projects on the dynamics of trafficking in women in the Baltic States in order to assess the extent of the problem, provide analysis of empirical developments and a systematic picture of the phenomenon, establish the main patterns, and recommend effective and cost efficient practical counter measures for combating trafficking in women in the Baltic States. In the course of the dissemination of the research results, the project also consolidated and enhanced counter-trafficking networks among Baltic and selected EU member state government officials and NGOs, in order to increase their awareness of the problem, strengthen their institutional capacity and promote sustainability of the project’s activities.