Combatting trafficking in human beings has long been a priority for the world and the European Union.
- Palermo Protocol (2000) to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime is of the highest importance as it provides a common definition of trafficking and sets international standards.
- The OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2003) is a strategic, long-term toolkit, comprising advanced and comprehensive recommendations in the areas of prosecution, prevention, protection, co-ordination, and partnerships.
- The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (2005) is a comprehensive treaty mainly focused on the protection of victims of trafficking and the safeguard of their rights. It also aims at preventing trafficking as well as prosecuting traffickers.
- The EU Anti-trafficking Directive (2011) has been the backbone of the EU’s efforts in combatting human trafficking. It sets minimum requirements for the Member States, including on the support and protection of victims
- The Victims’ Rights Directive (2012) establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime and ensures that persons who have fallen victim to crime are recognised and treated with respect.
- The EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025) underlines the need to enhance exchanges of best practices, including on cross-border cooperation for prevention and support; to facilitate advisory services by practitioners; to reinforce multi-agency cooperation and coordination at national and transnational level; to help further enhance support to victims and their referral in Europe and beyond; and to promote awareness-raising, research and data analysis.
DG HOME of the European Commission via the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and Internal Security Fund provides targeted funding to protect and support victims of trafficking, and to implement coordinated prevention measures.
Different programmes have received funding by the DG HOME contributing to the implementation of EU policies in the field, such as:
- AMELIE – Enhancing mechanisms of identification, protection and multi-agency collaboration through transnational and multi-sectoral actors’ engagement (coordinated by KMOP, Greece) aims to improve the anti-trafficking response system, by increasing the capacity of health care and frontline service providers to identify, safely refer and provide gender- and trauma-sensitive services to trafficked persons, with a focus on adult women.
- TIATAS – Transnational Initiative Against Trafficking in the context of Asylum Systems (coordinated by International Rescue Committee, Germany) aims to improve early identification and support of trafficked persons at an early stage in the asylum process; strengthen common practices and measures for early identification in the EU and conduct safe referral nationally and transnationally of trafficked persons to trauma-informed care in asylum procedures in line with EU standards.
- NET-WORKS – to ensure the long-term integration of Third-Country Nationals Survivors of Trafficking promoting job opportunities and work-life balance measures (coordinated by APG23, Italy) aimed at developing a holistic and durable integration pathway based on victim-centred and gender-specific approaches, with a main focus on preventing re-trafficking through job inclusion and measures to guarantee the work-life balance and the economic independence of women victims of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
- At CESIE we are coordinating WINGS – Supporting Women survivors of trafficking through a Comprehensive Integration Programme, aimed to foster labour integration of women victims of trafficking by preparing them for their professional journeys and providing them with a language training, psychological support, personalized employment counseling and provision of 15 internship opportunities for women.
Those are just a few examples of the collaborative efforts to tackle such a deeply rooted problem and provide support to victims and survivors!
As October 18th is EU Anti-Trafficking Day we want to call everyone to stand together and work together to stop trafficking!
