On 18 October 2012, the Cypriot EU Presidency and the European Commission held a conference in Brussels in commemoration of the annual EU Anti-Trafficking Day. The conference allowed the EU to convene and address the measures needed to effectively combat human trafficking.
The conference resulted in the conclusion that human trafficking was a modern form of slavery, an abominable phenomenon that violates fundamental human rights. Leaders hence agreed that comprehensive reform was absolutely necessary and that member states needed to coordinate their policies and work together in order to combat the issue. Finally, the parties to the conference acknowledged that this reform should go beyond the sphere of the Justice Department, and that it must be implemented on every level — from legislation to law enforcement, including victim support and the help of migration experts.
Human trafficking is defined by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as “recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force or coercion for the purpose of exploitation.” This exploitation appears in many forms, such as forced servitude, sexual exploitation, removal of organs and other similar practices. These atrocities persist even in our modern society that aims to hold human freedom and dignity at the core of its existence.
According to figures from the United Nations, 2.5 million individuals are being exploited as a direct result of human trafficking at any given time. In the European Union, sexual exploitation is the most common result of trafficking, with approximately 76% of the victims found in the sex industry. About 70% of trafficking victims are women and most victims from the EU originate from Romania and Bulgaria. Estimates further indicate that 70% of the suspects of human trafficking are men, and new trends show that the recruitment of victims is often carried out by acquaintances. To a certain extent, this may have been facilitated by the Internet, which allows perpetrators a greater sense of anonymity.
When it comes to eradicating human trafficking, one of the challenges is that the economic incentives for human trafficking can surpass the risks of prosecution. Human trafficking hence continues to be a lucrative activity, with profits estimated at around 32 billion USD worldwide. In order to effectively combat this threat to the sanctity of individual freedoms in the EU specifically, policy-makers must hence create disincentives for traffickers by increasing the likelihood of prosecution, making sure that the risks associated with this illegal activity definitely outweigh the economic benefits it can provide.
So what has been done to address this issue?
According to a UN worldwide report, the numbers in 2006 show that for every 800 people trafficked, only one person has been convicted. This lopsided figure served as a wake up call for officials, showing the dire need to punish the perpetrators. One step that the UN has taken is to criminalise activities that are associated with trafficking — that is to say attempts at trafficking, accomplice to trafficking and organisation of trafficking activities. This makes it increasingly difficult to circumvent the legality of trafficking itself.
The EU has also made substantial progress on the issues of human trafficking. In its Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings, the EU outlines five key priorities to be implemented over the next five years (2012-2016). First of all, it is vital to identify, protect and assist victims of trafficking. Secondly, further efforts have to be made in order to prevent the trafficking of other human beings. Thirdly, it is necessary to step up the actual prosecution of traffickers. Fourthly, enhanced coordination and cooperation is needed amongst key actors. Finally, the EU needs to increase its knowledge of and response to concerns related to human trafficking. According to the European Commission, this strategy will complement other legislation that is currently in the works.
Several recent developments in EU policy have increased support for victims through recovery and reintegration programmes. Whilst the increased support for victims is certainly a step in the right direction, it is equally important to take preventative steps, through stronger measures that allow for increased prosecution and conviction of perpetrators. Thus, preventative programmes and recovery initiatives need to go hand in hand.
The EU's Anti-Human Trafficking Day serves as a powerful reminder of the problems that victims of human trafficking continue to face on a daily basis and highlights our shared responsibility to protect fundamental human rights. The protection of human rights must remain a priority issue that needs to be addressed both at international level and across European member states. We may still have a long journey ahead of us when it comes to fully combating human rights violations, but we can certainly applaud ourselves for the measures already taken and hope that they will guide us in future policy-making.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP