Methods to identify trafficking victims focus of OSCE-organized expert discussion in Vienna

VIENNA, 19 November 2010 - Experts in anti-trafficking discussed today how to help police officers identify human trafficking victims. The conclusions from the OSCE-organized meeting will be included in a guide that will be distributed to police officers.

Representatives from OSCE participating States, international organizations and non-governmental organizations involved in anti-trafficking took part in the discussion, which will contribute to the "Guidebook on Identification of Potential and Presumed Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings for Community Policing Practitioners", which is being prepared by the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit.

"A first step in helping the victims of trafficking is to recognize them. Without clear identification, the crime of trafficking will neither be documented nor prosecuted," said Knut Dreyer, Senior Police Adviser to the OSCE Secretary General.

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, added:

"The number of victims identified is still extremely low compared to the estimated scale of trafficking, especially in the field of labour exploitation. Front-line police officers should be trained to recognize indications of trafficking, inform presumed victims about assistance options, and refer them to support services in order to avoid instances where presumed victims are misidentified, detained or deported."

By providing clear guidance for the identification of trafficked persons, this new publication will enhance the skills of law enforcement officers and their partners within the community policing structures. It is also a guide for co-operation between law enforcement agencies, public institutions and civil society in the fight against human trafficking.

The book is prepared in close co-operation with the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Gianmarinaro.

The OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit has already published guides on topics such as police-public partnerships and community policing - the theory that the police service and the community it serves should have close and friendly relations.

For more information, please see the OSCE Policing On Line Information System (POLIS) website http://POLIS.osce.org