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Key points

·  Every year, thousands of women, children and men fall victim to human trafficking, whether for sexual exploitation or other purposes, both within and beyond the borders of their own country. This phenomenon has taken on such unprecedented proportions that it can be described as a new form of slavery.

·  The Council of Europe has drawn up a powerful legal tool in the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. Fourteen countries have so far ratified the convention, which enters into force on 1 February 2008, and 24others have signed it.

·  This new convention, the first European treaty in the field, is a comprehensive treaty focusing mainly on protecting the victims of trafficking and safeguarding their rights. It also aims to prevent trafficking and to prosecute traffickers. In addition, the convention provides for an effective and independent monitoring mechanism capable of controlling the implementation of the measures contained in the convention.

Summary

Trafficking in human beings is the modern form of the old worldwide slave trade. It treats human beings as a commodity to be bought and sold. Victims are mainly exploited in the sex industry but they are also put into forced labour in the agricultural sector or in sweatshops, and a paid a pittance or nothing at all. Trafficking in human beings directly undermines the values on which the Council of Europe is based.
The Council of Europe convention is the first international legally-binding instrument which affirms that trafficking in human beings constitutes a violation of human rights and an offence to the dignity and integrity of the human being.
In 2006, the Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings was launched under the slogan Human being – not for sale. The campaign aimed to raise awareness - among governments, parliamentarians, local and regional authorities, NGOs and civil society - of the extent of the problem and highlighted the different measures which can be taken to prevent this new form of slavery, as well as measures to protect the human rights of victims and to prosecute the traffickers.
The campaign, which also aimed to promote the widest possible ratification of the convention, will end with the entry into force of the convention on 1 February 2008.

Questions and Answers

What is human trafficking?
Trafficking in human beings consists of a combination of three basic components, as defined in the convention:
·  the action of “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, which includes “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 or organs”.
Who are the victims?
Every year, an increasing number of people fall victim to trafficking, mainly for sexual exploitation (43%), but also for forced labour or services (32%). The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates the numbers at over 2.45 million. Most of the identified victims of trafficking are women, but men and children are also victims. All are desperate to make a living, only to have their lives ruined by exploitation. They are lured by adverts in their home countries for jobs abroad as fashion models, waiters, household employees, etc. Victims are very often trafficked from the poorer countries towards richer countries.
Who are the traffickers?
Organised crime is behind much of the trafficking in human beings. But isolated individuals can also be traffickers. Criminals have benefited from the growing ease of travel and communications technology. The convention applies even if trafficking does not involve any organised criminal group.
Is the Council of Europe the best platform for fighting this scourge?
Given that one of the primary concerns of the Council of Europe is safeguarding and protecting human rights and human dignity, and that trafficking in human beings directly undermines the values on which the Council of Europe is based, it is logical that finding solutions to this problem is a top priority for the organisation. It is all the more relevant as the Council of Europe has, among its 47 member states, countries of origin, transit and destination of trafficking victims.
What does the Convention do?
The Convention is a comprehensive treaty focussing on protecting victims of trafficking and safeguarding their rights. It also aims to prevent trafficking and to prosecute traffickers. In addition, the convention sets up an effective and independent mechanism to check that states respect their obligations.
What is the content of the convention?
The main measures provided for by the Convention are the following:
• Awareness-raising for people vulnerable to trafficking and actions aimed at discouraging "consumers" are among the main measures to prevent trafficking in human beings.
• Victims of trafficking must be recognised as such in order to avoid the police and public authorities treating them as illegal migrants or criminals.
• Victims of trafficking will be granted physical and psychological assistance and support for their reintegration into society. Medical treatment, counselling and information as well as appropriate accommodation are all among the measures provided for. Victims are also entitled to receive compensation.
• Victims are entitled to a minimum of 30 days to recover and escape from the influence of the traffickers and to take a decision regarding their possible cooperation with the authorities. A renewable residence permit may be granted if their personal situation so requires or if they need to stay in order to cooperate in a criminal investigation.
• Trafficking will be considered a criminal offence: traffickers and their accomplices will therefore be prosecuted.
• The private life and the safety of victims of trafficking will be protected throughout the course of judicial proceedings.
What form has Council of Europe’s campaign taken?
The Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings was launched in 2006 under the slogan Human being – not for sale. Its aim has been to raise awareness - among governments, parliamentarians, local and regional authorities, NGOs and civil society - of the extent of the problem of trafficking in human beings in Europe today. It has highlighted the different measures which can be taken to prevent this new form of slavery, as well as measures to protect the human rights of victims and to prosecute the traffickers. Its main aim has been to get governments to sign and ratify the convention as soon as possible to provide a real defence against traffickers and real hope for victims. The campaign will end with the entry into force of the convention on the 1 February 2008.
What have been the key activities of the campaign?
A series of seminars and specialised meetings in different countries have been carried out to spread the message to key players such as governmental and police officers, parliamentarians and non-governmental organisations. At the same time, the campaign has targeted the general public through television and radio spots and specially-targeted material, including a comic strip entitled “You´re not for sale” specially designed for children and young people, distributed to schools and colleges in 16 languages in countries where traffickers recruit. Material has also been made available at border points in those countries, helping to raise awareness of the issue both amongst vulnerable prospective victims and the general population.
How many countries have ratified the convention?
Fourteen countries have so far ratified the convention: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania and Slovakia. The convention will enter into force on 1 February 2008, following its tenth ratification, which was Cyprus on 24 October 2007.
The convention has been signed by 24 other Council of Europe member states: Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
The convention is also open to non-member states and the European Community.

Contacts

Cathie Burton, Team Leader Campaigns Tel: +33 (0) 3 88 41 28 93

Jaime Rodríguez, Press Officer, Tel. +33 (0) 689 99 50 42

www.coe.int 22.01.08
www.coe.int/trafficking