PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CG-1675/06 rev. 5
22 May 2006
GENERAL COMMITTEE Original: Spanish
DRAFT RESOLUTION
HEMISPHERIC EFFORTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS:
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FIRST MEETING
OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
(Approved by the General Committee at its meeting of May 22, 2006)
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DRAFT RESOLUTION
HEMISPHERIC EFFORTS TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS:
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FIRST MEETING
OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
(Approved by the General Committee at its meeting of May 22, 2006)
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
BEARING IN MIND resolutions AG/RES. 2019 (XXXIV-O/04), AG/RES. 2026 (XXXIV-O/04), and AG/RES. 2118 (XXXV-O/05); the Conclusions and Recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, held on Isla Margarita, Venezuela, from March 14 to 17, 2006; and the recommendations of the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-VI), held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from April 24 to 26, 2006;
HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of Activities by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Section of the Organization of American States (CP/doc.4105/06);
CONSIDERING:
The increase in trafficking in persons in the Hemisphere and its economic, social, and human repercussions;
That poverty, inequity, and social exclusion in the Hemisphere are factors that increase the vulnerability of persons, especially women and children, to becoming victims of traffickers, who often belong to organized criminal groups that operate at both domestic and transnational levels;
The commitment assumed by the member states to improve their capacity for identifying, investigating, prosecuting, and punishing those responsible for trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, and to provide due assistance and protection to the victims, in the framework of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime;
That trafficking in persons violates the human rights of victims and affects society at large, can lead to the breakdown of families and communities, facilitates the growth of organized crime and other illicit activities, deprives countries of human capital and thus inhibits development; increases public health costs, and undermines observance of the law, which is exacerbated when resources are lacking and in cases where corruption exists;
That trafficking in persons occurs within and across national borders;
The need to strengthen the response, at the domestic and hemispheric levels, to trafficking in persons, including, when necessary, the amendment of domestic laws and policies, so as to carry out effective measures to prevent and fight trafficking, especially in women and children, and to give adequate protection and assistance to victims, respecting the human rights and dignity of the human being, and in the framework of the Protocol;
RECOGNIZING the efforts of member states in fighting trafficking in persons; and recalling the commitment by our governments to strengthen regional and international cooperation in fighting this serious crime, which is usually a manifestation of transnational organized crime;
BEARING IN MIND the commitment assumed by the member states, during the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, held in Venezuela from March 14 to 17, 2006, to consider signing and ratifying, ratifying, or acceding to, as the case may be, and implementing as soon as possible, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and other relevant international instruments on the subject; and
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that, as an initial step in implementing the international obligations acquired by ratifying the said Protocol, the states parties should criminalize trafficking in persons in their respective domestic legislations, in accordance with its provisions,
RESOLVES:
1. To reaffirm its commitment to fight the crime of trafficking in persons, by means of a comprehensive approach that takes into account the prevention of trafficking, prosecution of its perpetrators, protection of and assistance to its victims and respect for their human rights, as well as the strengthening of international cooperation in the area and implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and of other relevant international instruments.
2. To welcome the Conclusions and Recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons of the OAS member states, held on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, from March 14 to 17, 2006, which are part of this resolution and constitute an essential contribution to the definition of an international cooperation strategy and to the identification of national and hemispheric actions and measures to strengthen the fight against trafficking in persons.
3. To encourage member states to take the necessary measures to implement, as appropriate, the Conclusions and Recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons.
4. To urge those member states that have not yet done so to consider ratifying, adhering or acceding to, as the case may be, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, as well as other initiatives and actions geared toward preventing trafficking in persons, prosecuting its perpetrators, and protecting and assisting its victims.
5. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, continue to consider this topic taking into account the comprehensive and crosscutting nature of the topic during its consideration.
6. To request the General Secretariat to take the necessary measures, as appropriate, within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources, to implement the Conclusions and Recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons.
7. To request the OAS organs, agencies, and entities and mechanisms executing these recommendations to adopt an integrated and crosscutting approach to the matter of trafficking in persons.
8. To recognize the important role played by civil society in combating all aspects of trafficking in persons; and to recommend that the member states continue to dialogue with civil society organizations in their efforts against trafficking in persons.
9. To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh regular session on the implementation of this resolution.