SARAH CROZIER Human Rights Professor Julia O’Connell Davidson of the University of Nottingham discusses the demand side of trafficking in human beings during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Warsaw, 3 October. 60 Assessments are currently under way or have been completed in Belarus, France, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The process of preparing for and conducting assessments has provided visibility to OSCE commitments and has led to the identification of numerous national actors on trafficking that have become valuable sources of information and partners in OSCE anti-trafficking initiatives. Some actors have been invited to exchange practices from their countries and highlight problematic issues during ODIHR events and the high-level conferences of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. In a number of countries, assessments have been followed up with meetings, training courses, and other initiatives to promote compliance with OSCE commitments and NRM standards and to build the capacity of local structures. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the ODIHR presented the OSCE commitments and NRM standards during a conference in March for governmental and civil society actors on the draft UK national action plan on trafficking. The ODIHR also participated in public consultations on the UK action plan, drawing on the draft findings from its assessment to provide commentary, and in July provided oral evidence for a parliamentary committee enquiry on trafficking in the UK. In September, the ODIHR participated in a round- Annual Report  table discussion in Kazakhstan on that country’s NRM, which it followed with two training seminars for local authorities organized jointly with the OSCE Centre in Almaty. In Russia, the ODIHR presented its NRM recommendations during an NGO assembly in March and its draft research findings and recommendations during a workshop for law enforcement and civil society in December. In November, the ODIHR participated in a meeting in Turkey of that country’s Trafficking Task Force. The special day on trafficking during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in October firmly placed on the agenda the importance of unconditional assistance and protection to trafficked persons alongside the role of NRMs. Discussions led to numerous statements by states in support of the establishment of NRMs. The special day also included a discussion on the demand factors in trafficking and provided a forum for presenting recent research on this controversial issue. In Albania, Georgia, and Romania, projects to enhance identification and assistance to trafficked persons were launched. These projects strengthen outreach services to trafficked persons and vulnerable groups, provide information on rights, and support legal representation of trafficked persons to improve their access to justice. Side meetings during human dimension events were used to highlight recent research on protecting the rights of trafficking victims in criminal proceedings and the limitations of criminal-justice responses to tackling trafficking for labour exploitation. In May, a side meeting highlighted the failure of many states to provide adequate information on victims’ rights or the requisite legal and physical security to secure victims’ co-operation in criminal proceedings. In October, the ODIHR organized a side meeting during the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting to explore the role and limitations of criminal-justice actors in preventing labour exploitation or providing protection to trafficked persons or vulnerable migrants.