ODIHR International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council - Annual Meeting
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An annual meeting of the ODIHR International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC) will be held in the margins of the UNODC Global Forum for Human Trafficking Survivors.
The meeting will provide a platform for dialogue between ISTAC and ODIHR to validate the medium-term strategy for ISTAC’s new term and to continue discussions on upcoming areas of expertise for developing new policy guidance to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings. ISTAC members will also participate in a sprint communication skills exercise designed to enhance their leadership and public speaking abilities.
Background
Active in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in the OSCE region since 1999, ODIHR has developed expertise in victim protection and the promotion of the rights of trafficked persons and at-risk groups. It focuses on promoting international human rights standards and gender-sensitive measures in response to trafficking.
ODIHR addresses trafficking in human beings through an approach based on human rights, the rule of law, equality, and non-discrimination, which is survivor-centred. ODIHR’s approach recognises that trafficked persons are holders of rights and ensures that responses to human trafficking protect these rights. In consultation with ISTAC, ODIHR has promoted the importance of meaningful and ethical engagement of survivor leaders in the anti-trafficking efforts through advocacy and policy guidance papers, including:
- Code of Practice for Ensuring the Rights of Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking
- Guidance on Establishing and Maintaining National Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Councils (NSTACs)
- Survivor-Informed Indicators for the Identification of Victims and Survivors of Trafficking in Human Beings
Since 2021, ISTAC has assisted ODIHR's work in advancing ethical survivor inclusion in all efforts to combat trafficking in human beings. It provides advice, guidance and recommendations to ODIHR, and through ODIHR to the OSCE participating States, on anti-trafficking legislation, policies, practices and training. The Council's work reflects the importance of including and promoting the voices of people with lived experience of human trafficking in all matters related to combating this crime.