ANNUAL REPORT 2004
Democratization Trafficking in Human Beings of approaches from different agencies, co-ordination, co- Establishing a legal and policy framework to operation, and monitoring are key. prosecute traffickers and to protect victims: Victim identification and assistance in the majority of cases are still undertaken on an ad hoc basis, if at all. Activities Criminal investigations and the prosecution of perpetrators are rarely successful without statements from trafficked persons. Guaranteed safety, shelter, access to The ODIHR conducted activities in 2004 in the follow- independent advice and counseling, an opportunity for ing areas: reflection delay, as well as effective witness protection,
are prerequisites to enabling trafficked persons to report the crime and to consider co-operation with au- expand awareness-raising efforts;
thorities. Only a stabilized victim will be able to contribute to successful prosecution efforts as a reliable Developing a handbook on National Referral Mechanisms; witness.
Improving the capacity of NGOs to strengthen and
Focusing on countries of destination;
Co-ordinating efforts and mainstreaming Co-ordinating and monitoring the implementa- anti-trafficking issues; and
tion of anti-trafficking measures: Trafficking concerns Administering the Anti-Trafficking Project Fund. a broad range of issues of human rights, rule of law, crime control, law enforcement, corruption, economic deprivation, and migration. The multitude of angles and 1. Improving the capacity of NGOs to strengthen and expand awareness-raising efforts perspectives that need to be addressed when combating trafficking in human beings opens up an arena for a broad variety of actors. As these actors bring in a variety Since the very beginning of its anti-trafficking work, the ODIHR has contributed to research efforts and carried out awareness-raising activities. Such work has included facilitation of NGO-government roundtables, training and support for hotline consultants, and direct work with the media. Effective awareness-raising creates a foundation for joint work based on a common UN definition and the realization that trafficked persons are victims of a crime. Awareness-raising also empowers at-risk groups and decision-makers to make appropriate, informed choices. “’Trafficking in persons’ shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” Anti-trafficking hotlines are an effective mechanism both in preventing trafficking in persons and in identifying trafficking victims. Hotlines provide consultations, promote public awareness about trafficking, alert potential victims to the risks and consequences of this criminal activity, and provide effective support and assistance to trafficking victims and their families. The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially in Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000 35