Judges play crucial role in ensuring that rights of trafficked victims are respected and restored stresses OSCE Special Representative

Haifa, 8 November 2016 - Speaking via video address, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, recommended judges at an international seminar in Haifa, Israel, to keep in mind the crucial role they play in ensuring that the rights of trafficked victims are respected and restored.

Opening a four-day event entitled The Critical Role of the Judiciary in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the Special Representative called upon judges to be aware of different patterns in trafficking, forms of exploitation, challenges in collecting evidence and means used by criminals, as well as of the importance of non-punishment and criminalisation of victims for acts they were obliged to perform under coercion.

“As not every case of exploitation will amount to human trafficking, and not every prosecution of trafficking will result in a conviction, it is essential that you critically assess when fundamental rights are violated, and that you guarantee these rights in criminal proceedings,” Ambassador Jarbussynova said.  

Citing recent EU Commission and UN data, Jarbussynova highlighted a worrying trend in which “all too often, trafficking cases fail to be qualified as such; perpetrators go unpunished; criminal networks flourish; and victims fail to be compensated for their material and moral damages”.

The event was attended by more than 25 judges from across the world and included representatives from 12 OSCE participating States, and Partners for Co-operation. High-level Israeli officials, including Dina Dominitz, National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator, also took part in the seminar.

The event was organised by MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center in co-operation with the OSCE, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Institute of Advanced Judicial Studies, Jerusalem, and the Anti-Trafficking Unit at the Israeli Ministry of Justice. In line with its mandate, the OSR / CTHB will continue to work towards strengthening the capacity of the judiciary to prosecute perpetrators and safeguard the rights of victims of trafficking.