Human Rights Jacqueline Carpenter (l), Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in Baku, speaks with ODIHR Human Rights Adviser Benjamin Moreau during the OSCE’s Review Conference in Warsaw, Poland, 30 September 2010. (OSCE/Piotr Markowski) damage or destroy the standards, principles and values of human rights, the rule of law and pluralistic democracy. However, national and international efforts to combat terrorism across the OSCE region are, in some cases, jeopardizing human rights for the presumed benefit of security and are cited to justify unlawful practices on the part of participating States. Counter-terrorism measures need to comply with human rights standards to ensure that their implementation does not undermine their very purpose, which is to protect and maintain democratic societies. The respect and promotion of human rights are, in themselves, two of the most effective tools for preventing terrorism. ODIHR assists participating States in addressing the need to protect human rights in the context of all counter-terrorism measures. The Office also provides support in developing effective counter-terrorism measures that are multi-dimensional and human rights compliant, in line with the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security. Human Rights and the Armed Forces Protecting the human rights of armed forces personnel is a key obligation undertaken by OSCE participating States in the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. Key problems faced throughout the OSCE region include: the mistreatment or bullying of armed forces personnel by superiors or fellow soldiers; official discrimination in both recruitment and active service on the basis of gender, sexual orientation or other characteristics; excessive restrictions on civil and political rights and on the right to form military associations; and the absence of adequate oversight and complaint mechanisms, such as independent military ombudsperson institutions. ODIHR continues to provide participating States with help in dealing with these issues, often in line with good practices and recommendations based on information received from OSCE participating States and originally collected for the Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel, published by the Office in co-operation with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in 2008. Trafficking in Human Beings Many key challenges continue to exist in this area across the OSCE region, such as non-inclusion or inadequate inclusion of civil society actors in victim identification and National Referral Mechanisms; lack of access to justice, including compensation, for trafficked persons; ODIHR Annual Report 2010 37