OSCE hosts annual meeting for consular officials in Ukraine on combating human trafficking

Better co-operation on immigration issues is a way to prevent human trafficking. On November 23, 2012 the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine organized a roundtable discussion in Kyiv to promote better co-ordination between Ukrainian authorities and consular officials in combating human trafficking.

Twenty-five representatives working in the visa sections of foreign embassies and consulates based in Kyiv attended the event. The goal was to increase their awareness of the problem of trafficking in persons and to discuss ways to identify and assist potential victims, national responses to the crime, the role of embassies and consulates in combating it. Ways to co-operate and ensure an effective exchange of information between Ukrainian authorities and consular offices were also touched upon. Particular attention was paid to the recently established National Referral Mechanism in Ukraine.

Rene Bebeau, Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, stressed that effective co-operation between consular officials and national authorities is crucial for combating cross-border human trafficking and ensuring timely prevention of the crime as well as identifying and assisting its victims.

The annual event held since 2004 serves as a platform for the consular officers to meet Ukrainian officials. The meeting was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine in co-operation with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry as part of a project aimed at addressing challenges in combating trafficking in human beings and cybercrime in Ukraine.