OSCE conference on trafficking for labour exploitation addresses 'modern day slavery'

VIENNA, 7 November 2005 - Stimulating co-ordinated action to deal with the complex problem of labour exploitation, and forced and bonded labour is the aim of a two-day conference hosted by the office of the OSCE Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, beginning today in Vienna.

An estimated 2.5 million people are the victims of trafficking for various purposes of exploitation and at least one-third of them are trafficked for labour exploitation.

"The conference will contribute to drawing clearer borderlines between trafficking for labour exploitation, smuggling and illegal migration," said Helga Konrad, the OSCE Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

"Not every labour migrant is a victim of trafficking and trafficking for labour exploitation must not be confused with poor working conditions or substandard wages, but a problem does exist and it must be dealt with," she added.

Ms Konrad urged OSCE participating States to vigorously fight this 'modern day slavery' on a broad front and in a comprehensive way by establishing a clear legal framework, pro-actively regulating and monitoring vulnerable sectors such as construction, agriculture, domestic labour, etc. and working with multi-agency groups including labour inspectorates and employers' and workers' organizations.

She added that States needed to review policies that link visas or work permits to a specific employer or type of employment; and criminalizing the retention of passports, visa, work permits, etc.

Issues of identification, protection of victims, preventive measures, as well as ways of successful prosecution of all those involved in this criminal business, will be addressed at the conference.

Non-governmental organizations (NGO) monitoring various geographic areas, including Israel, Africa, the United States, France and Serbia and Montenegro, provided examples of manifestations of labour trafficking.

Roger Plant, Head of the Special Action Programme on Forced Labour presented the most recent research on forced labour of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and highlighted the factors contributing to trafficking into forced and bonded labour and the contexts in which it is facilitated including labour market conditions, means of recruitment and responses of state authorities and civil society to the problem.

In three workshop sessions, some 200 participants will discuss the issues in more detail.

This is the third conference within the framework of the multi-agency 'Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons'.