H.E. Ambassador Dina El Sehy, Executive Director of the Fund for Assisting Victims of Trafficking in Persons, visited the Orthodox Church in Damietta Governorate, as part of the Fund’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with religious and community institutions in raising awareness of the risks of human trafficking crimes and ways to prevent them.
During the visit, H.E. Ambassador Dina El Sehy met with Rev. Mina Al-Qummus Boulos, Rev. Markos Mahrous, Rev. Sidham Beshay Edwar, and Mr. Emad Adeeb. The meeting addressed several topics related to ways to strengthen cooperation between the Fund for Assisting Victims of Trafficking in Persons and the Orthodox Church, contributing to community awareness-raising efforts and combating these crimes.
Both sides emphasized the importance of integrating the roles of relevant institutions, particularly religious institutions, in raising awareness of the risks of human trafficking, raising awareness of its various forms and manifestations, as well as explaining the methods that human trafficking gangs may use to lure victims and exploit groups most vulnerable to trafficking.
The meeting stressed the importance of capitalizing on the influential role of religious leaders in reaching broad segments of society, given their community presence and ability to convey awareness messages in a simple and direct manner, thereby strengthening a culture of prevention and raising awareness of practices that may lead individuals to become victims of human trafficking crimes.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of strengthening future cooperation through exchanging expertise and information, as well as participating in awareness-raising activities and programmes, thereby contributing to raising community awareness of the seriousness of human trafficking and encouraging citizens to report any practices or cases suspected of being linked to this crime.
H.E. Ambassador Dina El Sehy’s visit to Damietta Governorate comes within the framework of the Fund for Assisting Victims of Trafficking in Persons’ approach to expanding cooperation with religious and community institutions and strengthening partnerships aimed at protecting groups most in need, while reinforcing the concepts of prevention, awareness-raising, and combating human trafficking.
The Fund continues its efforts to support victims of human trafficking and strengthen awareness-raising and prevention mechanisms, in cooperation with various entities and institutions, thereby supporting the State’s efforts to combat this crime and mitigate its humanitarian and social repercussions.
