An international conference was held in Brussels on September 30 to mark the 65th anniversary of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. European nations that uphold the New York Convention were represented at the conference.
The New York Convention, a resolution of the UN General Assembly approved in 1949, is the sole international text that identifies and examines the exploitation of others through prostitution.
The international conference called on European states that had previously approved or ratified the convention to join a round table discussion to highlight the good practices that have been implemented to fight the growing problem of human trafficking while opening the dialogue to formulate a cohesive strategy addressing this issue in the future.
The United Nations on Drugs and Crime (Unodoc) defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transfer or harbouring of persons by use of threat, coercion, deception or abduction for the purpose of exploitation, which spans to include forced labour or servitude to prostitution.
The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, highlights the urgency to address the consequences of this extreme kind of human rights violation and the necessity to step up EU efforts to unchain the victims of human trafficking during her speech at the conference.
Although giant steps have been taken to fight human trafficking and remove the political taboo surrounding this issue, there is still much to be done to combat this serious crime, Malmström declares, because 1.8 persons per 1,000 inhabitants in Europe were recorded as being victims of human trafficking in October 2012.
Furthermore, Malmström emphasizes the interconnectedness of gender and trafficking, for sexual exploitation is the most prevalent method of “modern-day slavery”.
Eurostat reports that 62 per cent of human trafficking in the EU consisted of sexual exploitation and that 96 per cent of human trafficking victims were female. Thus, the EU must take the gender inequalities and discrimination that are at the root of this issue into account as it draws up a policy blueprint to fight human trafficking.
In 2011, the European Parliament adopted a directive (2011/36/EU) on preventing and combatting trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, an ambitious attempt to combat this crime.
Sixty-two per cent of human trafficking in the EU consisted of sexual exploitation
Moreover, the directive takes a victim-centred approach and emphasises the legal obligation of each member state to reduce the demand for sexual exploitation for there is a client behind every girl or woman sold.
Furthermore, it focuses efforts through the prosecution of offenders, victims’ support and victims’ rights in criminal proceedings as well as prevention and the monitoring of implementation. EU member states are required to appoint a national rapporteur responsible for monitoring the implementation of anti-trafficking policies.
According to Malmström, this policy marks “a very important step towards a comprehensive and more effective European anti-trafficking policy”.
Recently, the European Commission presented an EU strategy for the eradication of trafficking in human beings for 2012-2016.
This will complement the 2011 directive and adapt the policies to the evolving forms of trafficking of persons that reflect changing socio-economic circumstances.
This strategy is based upon five central principles: augmenting the ability to identify and assist victims, prevention of trafficking through the reduction of demand, increasing the prosecution of the offenders, improving coordination and cohesion within the EU and raising awareness of the current trends of human trafficking.
Finally, Malmström stresses the importance of increasing the probability that the perpetrators will end up behind bars. Between 2008 and 2010, the number of trafficking victims rose by 18 per cent against a 17 per cent drop in the number of sentences for offenders.
As Europe moves forward as a coherent unit fighting against the crime of human trafficking, the criminalization of the issue across member states is integral to the eradication of the problem on all fronts rather than merely relocating the problem to countries that are less strict.
For, as it is stated in the preamble of the New York Convention, “prostitution and the accompanying evil of the traffic in persons for the purpose of prostitution are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endanger the welfare of the individual, the family, and the community”.
It is therefore crucial that each member state take the necessary steps to eradicate the consequences of human trafficking within the EU.
As we approach the seventh EU Anti-Trafficking Day, on October 18, the momentum set rolling by the international conference can serve to propel us into the future as we renew and strengthen our efforts to combat this problem.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP.