Governments need to ramp up efforts to combat human trafficking, OSCE says
WARSAW / VIENNA, 30 July 2019 – Governments must increase their efforts to combat trafficking in human beings and put the human rights and needs of victims at the centre of all responses, the OSCE said on the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons.
“Trafficking in human beings is a heinous crime. It has never been so easy for perpetrators to carry out, and at the same time so difficult to combat,” said Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. “Governments need to clearly acknowledge the influence of the expanding and highly profitable sex industry on the demand for trafficking. They also have the primary responsibility for protecting the rights of the exploited and for halting demand for goods and services produced by trafficked people. In order to make real progress in tackling this phenomenon, states need a far-sighted approach that includes co-operation far beyond national borders.”
In addition to co-operation with other countries, with civil society, and with international organizations, there are a number of effective and sustainable solutions that governments can make use of in order to reduce demand. These range from new and often stronger legislation to information campaigns for potential victims and for the general public, to make consumers aware that their shopping habits may support companies making a profit out of exploitation.
Particular attention must be paid to the plight of women and girls. Trafficking is highly gendered, with female victims accounting for over 70 per cent of all detected trafficked persons. Creating and strengthening national referral mechanisms, which are the building blocks of effective regional and international co-operation to combat trafficking and enable co-operation between all the state agencies as well as civil society, should therefore be a priority.
“As we observe World Day against Trafficking in Persons, it is imperative that we address the gap between the scale of the problem and the scale of our response,” said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. “Huge numbers of victims remain in the shadows and traffickers continue to operate with impunity. Governments across the OSCE need to urgently send a message of zero tolerance for human trafficking through increased investigations, robust prosecutions and penalties proportionate to the seriousness of this crime.”
More also needs to be done for the long-term rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors of trafficking.
“We need to listen to survivors and learn from their experiences,” said Valiant Richey, Acting OSCE Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. “Technology and the internet in particular are providing traffickers with new opportunities to enlarge the market for human trafficking. The insights and advice of survivors can allow us to develop strategies to take effective countermeasures.”
Governments can help to empower victims by providing a wide-ranging legal framework that guarantees vital services such as access to healthcare, housing, legal counselling, a recovery and reflection period, a temporary or permanent residence permit, education, vocational training and work, compensation, protection before, during and after a criminal trial, the erasure of criminal records in line with the non-punishment principle, respect for privacy and data protection, protection from unsafe return, and the right to seek asylum.