Russian pop star and IOM Goodwill Envoy in the Russian Federation,
Valeriya,  is to donate all the proceeds of her new single,
‘Back to Love' to IOM as a commitment of support for the
Organization's counter-trafficking work.

The single, which will be released in the United Kingdom 
first on 27th April, tells the story of a victim of trafficking. It
will be widely performed during Valeriya's 2009 European tour.

Valeriya is the first Russian celebrity to dedicate her time and
international fame to raise awareness of the plight of victims of
trafficking.  The sale of her latest album (250,000 CDs to
date) has been an effective vehicle for the dissemination of
counter trafficking messages.

"I have now decided that all proceeds of my new single should go
to the important cause of eliminating human trafficking across the
world, led by the International Organization for Migration. I hope
my music and work highlight the counter-trafficking cause with my
profits now also to benefit the work of the IOM."

Valeriya's own experience of physical violence in her previous
marriage, of which she has openly spoken, has made the singer a
powerful ally for IOM's work worldwide to combat human
trafficking.

"We are greatly encouraged by this offer of Valeriya's. There is
so much work to be done and funding needs are great. We hope that
the single will be hugely successful so that we can help more
trafficked persons," said Enrico Ponziani, IOM Chief of Mission in
Russia.

In Russia, IOM has a rehabilitation centre in Moscow which will
run out of funds by the end of June. To date the centre has
assisted 327 victims of trafficking with medical, psychological and
social support.

To find out more about Valeriya's UK tour dates, please go to class="paragraph-link-no-underline" href=
"http://www.valeriya.co.uk/" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.valeriya.co.uk/.

For more information on IOM's counter-trafficking work in the
Russian Federation, please visit "paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.no2slavery.ru/"
target="_blank" title="">http://www.no2slavery.ru/ or
contact:

Alberto Andreani

IOM Moscow

Tel: +7 495 797 8722

E-mail: "mailto:aandreani@iom.int">aandreani@iom.int