Italian expert appointed OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

VIENNA, 22 December 2009 - Judge and European Commission expert Maria Grazia Giammarinaro of Italy has been appointed OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, announced Ambassador Mara Marinaki of Greece, Chairperson of the Permanent Council, today.

Giammarinaro, a judge at the Criminal Court of Rome who has published several works on trafficking in human beings, served from 2006 in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security in Brussels, where she was responsible for work to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children, as well as for penal aspects of illegal immigration within the unit dealing with the fight against organized crime.

"The OSCE supports the development and implementation of anti-trafficking policies in OSCE participating States, and Mrs Giammarinaro's solid expertise in this area will benefit us all," Ambassador Marinaki said.

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro replaces Eva Biaudet of Finland, whose term concludes at the end of December.