OSCE conference calls for better co-ordination in battle against human trafficking

VIENNA, 17 March 2006 - The OSCE plays an important co-ordination role in the battle against human trafficking, its Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Helga Konrad said at today's opening of a high-level conference on combating human trafficking, in women and children especially.

The one-day meeting brought together experts from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as well as the Austrian Government and the European Commission. It focused on the prevention of trafficking, protection of victims and prosecution of perpetrators, and on the health implications of human trafficking.

Konrad reiterated the importance of a victim-centered approach and the importance to address the whole chain of criminal networks and to apprehend the perpetrators along the entire continuum.

"Traffickers ruthlessly exploit the total lack of social and legal protection for victims of trafficking," she said. "We must create or significantly strengthen networks of support services so that victims can turn to and access an immediately supportive environment."

OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut added:

"Fighting this horrendous crime of child trafficking, while ensuring the safety and well-being of this most vulnerable group in our society, should remain our common goal if we want to promote human development, prosperity and security at regional, national and international levels.

"The OSCE as a regional organization is the natural forum in which political commitments, regular dialogue and co-operation among countries can contribute to strengthening the exchange of experience and expertise, as well as the implementation of concrete actions," Brichambaut said.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, told the conference that trafficking people was sometimes an even more profitable business than trafficking weapons.

"Reinforced co-operation between the OSCE, the EU and its member states, Europol and all of you gathered here today, will help our collective efforts to turn the tide against the traffickers," she said.

"Women and children, wherever they are in the world, must be safe from the predatory smugglers who deprive them of their basic human rights and human dignity. And the criminals involved in this despicable global business must be brought to justice."

IOM Deputy Director General Ndioro Ndiaye said NGOs had noted that most trafficking victims are children when they are recruited.

"Here in Europe, the IOM and other agencies have noted a new trend of children being trafficked with their parents and mothers, often for exploitation in street begging," she said. "This may be a strategy to foil authorities or simply a method of exerting greater control by the trafficker."

For more information and keynote speeches, please see the special conference website.