Joint action and analysis needed to combat human trafficking in the OSCE region, Special Representative says
PRAGUE, 30 March 2009 - Enhanced co-operation is urgently needed to strengthen national monitoring and reporting mechanisms on trafficking in human beings in Europe, OSCE Special Representative Eva Biaudet said at a conference today.
The conference, "Joint analysis, joint action: EU National Rapporteurs on trafficking in human beings," aims to increase efficient co-operation and information exchange among EU countries, and beyond, for a comprehensive response to eradicate all forms of human trafficking.
"We lack an overall picture of the scope and trends of this issue, as well as an accurate assessment of the results of our actions. For this compelling reason the OSCE supports the establishment of an EU-wide network for exchanging information among rapporteurs, which will enable more effective policy-making based on concrete and comparable information," said Biaudet, who is OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and has led efforts to support the creation of national rapporteurs and equivalent mechanisms in the region.
Czech Deputy Interior Minister Lenka Patackova Melicharova said: "The fight against trafficking in human beings is of a multi-disciplinary character. It is a long and demanding process, and this Prague conference is an important successful stage in this long distance run."
The two-day EU conference in Prague brings together more than 80 government officials and other experts to discuss the role of national monitoring and reporting mechanisms. National rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms should help to collect and analyze data to better identify the scale of human trafficking as well as evaluate and monitor the implementation and impact of national efforts. In addition, they should publish annual reports and encourage research to better understand the problem.
Biaudet added: "In times of crisis, policy-making based on evidence can increase public confidence in the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of efforts undertaken by all stakeholders."