European Anti-Trafficking Day – Sunday 18 October 2015
“Protect the rights of victims of trafficking during
migration” – UN rights expert urges Europe
GENEVA (15 October 2015) – The United Nations Special
Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Maria
Grazia Giammarinaro, today called on European Union Institutions and individual
European States to prevent trafficking and protect the rights of people at
risk, particularly in relation with the unprecedented numbers of people
migrating to Europe.
Speaking ahead of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the
independent expert urged the European Union to ensure that Member States'
anti-trafficking policies are not negatively affected by restrictive and
exclusionary immigration policies which are not effective and further heighten
risks for trafficking and exploitation.
“Over the past 15 years, the EU has devoted many efforts
to the prevention and fight against trafficking in persons. However, it is
imperative today to acknowledge that not only specific anti-trafficking
policies but all related policies and especially migration policies must be
consistent with the priority of preventing and eradicating trafficking and
exploitation.
I urge European Union Institutions and individual Member
States to ensure that the rights of victims of trafficking, including access to
justice and compensation are not negatively impacted by these policies.
Conflicts, emergency crisis situations and poverty can
indirectly and directly fuel trafficking as people are pushed to migrate in
unsafe and vulnerable conditions where they are often subjected to abuse and
exploitation.
Tens of thousands of people are currently on the move:
victims of trafficking, refugees, asylum seekers, children traveling alone,
migrants travelling along similar routes, using similar means of travel. Each
one has a reason, but a common destination is Europe.
An estimated 2,500 have died in the Mediterranean Sea
this year alone. Some of those surviving their perilous journey through land
and sea often fall prey to criminal or unscrupulous recruiters and employers,
who traffic them for purposes of labour, sexual or other types of slave-like
exploitations in transit and destination countries.
On the 9th European Anti-trafficking Day, I also urge the
European Union to commit to the prevention and eradication of exploitation and
trafficking, especially of women and children, in any of the sectors this takes
place in such as agriculture, construction, fishery, domestic work, the
touristic industry and the sex industry.”
ENDS
Ms. Maria Grazia Giammarinaro (Italy) was appointed as
Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by
the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014, to promote the prevention of
trafficking in persons in all its forms, and to encourage measures to uphold
and protect the human rights of victims. Ms. Giammarinaro has been a Judge
since 1991 and currently serves as a Pre-Trial Judge at the Criminal Court of
Rome. She was the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking
in Human Beings of the OSCE, and served in the European Commission’s
Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security in Brussels, where she
was responsible for combating human trafficking and sexual exploitation of
children. She drafted the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking
in human beings and protecting its victims. Learn more, log on to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Trafficking/Pages/TraffickingIndex.aspx
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
For more information and media requests, please contact
Selma Vadala (svadala@ohchr.org / +41 22 917 9108) or write to
srtrafficking@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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