Vienna, London, Maastricht, 1 December 2003. Trafficking in human beings is a gross violation of human rights and the failure to take action against it is a violation of OSCE commitments. Governmental, non-governmental and international organisations alike are well-versed in the root causes and the multi-faceted approach that is required to combat the grim reality that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children face each year. It is well-known that social and economic inequality provide fertile ground on which trafficking flourishes. It is well-known that poverty, gender inequality, unemployment, discrimination in the labour market, corruption and disrespect for human rights collectively ensure that the cycle is not broken. It is well-known that legislative change and political will operate as considerable obstacles to fighting this crime.
The IHF and Anti-Slavery International are concerned though that many countries, while condemning trafficking as a violation of human rights and pledging to take steps to combat it, in fact fail to take the problem seriously. We therefore welcome the intention of the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (PC.DEC/557) to provide participating States with a “comprehensive toolkit to help them implement their commitments to combating trafficking in human beings,” and to address the problem of trafficking in human beings comprehensively by addressing the protection of trafficked persons, the prevention of trafficking in human beings, and the prosecution of those who facilitate or commit the crime.
The IHF and Anti-Slavery call on the OSCE Ministerial Council for the full implementation of the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings and will present a series of recommendations at a Human Rights NGO meeting parallel to the OSCE Ministerial Meeting. These recommendations will be open to endorsement from other NGOs and organizations during and after the meeting.
A copy of the joint statement by IHF and Anti-Slavery is attached.
For further information please contact:
Anti-Slavery International: Iveta Bartunkova i.bartunkova@antislavery.org, Mary Cunneen, m.cunneen@antislavery.org or Beth Herzfeld, Press Officer, 44 207 501 8934.
IHF: Nicole Watson, Women’s Rights Programme Coordinator, IHF,
email:watson@ihf-hr.org, tel: ++43 676 305 2642