OSCE representative urges parliamentarians to step up fight against human trafficking

VIENNA, 12 February 2008 - The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Eva Biaudet, said today that parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in the fight against trafficking.

"The role of Parliament in the fight against human trafficking is not only to discuss and amend national legislation, but also a vehicle for national reflection on how to change the situation," she said, addressing participants from 116 countries at the first global Parliamentary Forum to fight human trafficking in Vienna. The event is part of the U.N. Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking.

Participants at the Vienna Forum discussed practical measures to increase the effectiveness of measures aiming to prevent human trafficking and bring perpetrators to justice. Lack of information and a disjointed response were named as reasons that have enabled human trafficking to continue.

Biaudet urged parliamentarians to call for a day of national reflection on human trafficking. "A day of national reflection during which parliamentarians from different segments come together to discuss and contribute towards concrete policies and results is needed to curb this crime. We should be more ambitious and mark today as our day of reflection. We should come together in the near future as a true Global Forum, bringing our contributions, challenges and achievements in the battle against human trafficking," she said.

"Human trafficking takes many forms, and exists side-by-side with other unlawful activities such as illegal migration, forced labor, pedophilia, child exploitation, civil conflicts and organized prostitution. It is a violation of human rights and it is very complex, so there is no quick solution."