by Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
Human trafficking is a direct affront to individual dignity and freedom. The sheer scale of this crime makes it one of the greatest social challenges of our time.
by Eirini Patsea, Programme Co-ordinator, Regional Trial Monitoring Project
The Western Balkans is beautiful and diverse, but it is no secret that organized crime and corruption have splintered the tenets of social justice and fractured the foundations of society throughout the region. The consequences are debilitating.
Today is the last day of the 16 days of activism campaign against gender-based violence. We’ve done a lot over these 16 days to raise attention to this horrific crime. And while this is the last day of the campaign, the work of fighting gender-based violence will continue tomorrow and in the days and months after.
by Tuula Yrjölä, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre
Looking at the name of our Centre, I often find myself in a paradox. As the name suggests, we indeed help prevent conflicts. But importantly, we also help mitigate the consequences of conflict, and work on post-conflict rehabilitation.
Arms control. Disarmament. Non-proliferation. What images come to mind? Stocks of ammunition? Missile installations? Men in grey suits? Men in uniform? Young women from Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, and Norway? That last image might not be typical, but it could be. We know that sustainable security demands that women play an integral part in the decision-making processes around security. And while this is often raised in the context of negotiations on peace processes, which is crucial, the reality is that shaping security involves so much more – and women need to be included across the board. Yet we see that young women still face additional hurdles when it comes to areas long seen as the domain of men – including arms-control, disarmament and non-proliferation.
by Franz Petutschnig, Team Leader of the Regional Trial Monitoring Project at the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
Security is not limited to hard political and military issues. It also manifests itself in the air we breathe. The simple act of breathing clean air has a tremendous impact on our everyday lives but can all too often be taken for granted.