ANNUAL REPORT 2004 Democratization Trafficking in Human Beings and NGOs can use in their efforts to ensure that victims ed a comprehensive set of recommendations in the of trafficking receive appropriate protection and assis- areas of prevention, protection, and prosecution that, tance and are referred to relevant support services. It together with OSCE commitments, served as the basis describes sustainable measures and structures that for the ODIHR’s anti-trafficking activities in countries of states can implement to combat trafficking in human destination. beings and to support victims. In particular, it deals with the question of what happens after a presumed In September 2004, the ODIHR, in co-operation with victim of trafficking is intercepted by the police both in the Foreign Ministry of Finland, organized a follow-up countries of destination and of origin. conference in Helsinki called “Ensuring Human Rights Protection in Countries of Destination: Breaking the Cycle of Trafficking”. The purpose of the conference The ODIHR also took steps towards the practical implementation of NRMs, developing a training methodology that targets both governmental and non-governmental actors and that focuses on practical steps to take in establishing and monitoring NRMs; holding a workshop for anti-trafficking focal points from OSCE field missions that aimed to facilitate missions’ assistance to governments in setting up NRMs; and conducting focused training activities with field missions in Serbia and Montenegro, Moldova, Armenia, and Ukraine. was to:
Raise awareness about the human-rights situation of trafficking victims in countries of destination;
Promote strategies and best practices of victim protection, such as the implementation of National Referral Mechanisms; and
Facilitate networking among key decision-makers and NGOs. The conference presented an opportunity to promote human-rights standards for victim protection and to 3. Focus on countries of destination address the need to develop multidisciplinary victim support systems based on the inclusive and co-operative National Referral Mechanisms concept. The main While there are high-level commitments to combat recommendations of the conference included: trafficking and protect its victims throughout the entire OSCE region, the focus of anti-trafficking work
Make the protection of victims a priority in anti-trafficking work;
Improve authorities’ understanding of the nature of exploitation, and addressing prejudices that prevent identification of trafficked victims;
Emphasize the importance of residence permits for all victims of trafficking in human beings regardless of the ability or willingness of victims to collaborate with law enforcement;
Ensure co-operation between civil society and governmental authorities;
Emphasize the importance of involving all relevant actors from government and civil society in a multidisciplinary and cross-sector approach; often remains largely on countries of origin. This is the case despite the fact that the human rights of trafficking victims are also at risk or violated in destination countries, many of which lack adequate mechanisms to identify victims and protect their rights. To address this, the ODIHR, in co-operation with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had already organized a conference in October 2001 called “Europe against Trafficking in Persons”, focusing on anti-trafficking policies and measures in countries of destination. It was the first European conference specifically addressing the situation and needs of trafficked persons in countries of destination. Participants elaborat- 37