OSCE representative: fight against trafficking should adopt a victim-centered approach (03/27/05)

OSCE representative: fight against trafficking should adopt a victim-centered approach

VIENNA - Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Helga Konrad on February 28 urged the member-states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to adopt a victim-centered approach and allow them an extended stay in the countries they are trafficked into.

"Up to 50 percent of immediately expelled victims are 're-cycled' by traffickers and become victims a second time," she said on February 28. "Therefore, states should offer victims real alternatives."

Ms. Konrad was addressing more than 150 experts who gathered for a one-day meeting in Vienna dedicated to developing assistance to and protection of human trafficking victims.

"We should offer them a package, going beyond the conventional shelter or hotline possibilities. States should grant the victims extended stay, during which they can also work," she added.

Ms. Konrad said that among the 55 OSCE states, Italy was the only one offering victims such a possibility and, thus, a realistic chance for social inclusion.

Judge Maria Grazia Giammarinaro of Italy supported Ms. Konrad's demand with concrete examples from her country. "The number of court cases against traffickers registered a tenfold increase within the first year of implementation of the new victim-centered Italian legislation," she said.

"Since the new law was introduced in 2000, almost 3,000 cases have been filed and brought to court, with hundreds of traffickers being sentenced and networks being crushed. Once the victims are sure of their safety and security, they are more willing to cooperate during the prosecution," said Judge Giammarinaro.

Ms. Konrad stressed that a state should first offer protection to victims and then expect cooperation from them.

"Residence and work permits should be given unconditionally," she added. "We must switch from an exclusively law-enforcement approach to a victim-centred one. The victim as such is entitled to assistance - there is no justification for making assistance dependent on participation in the prosecutorial process."

A victim-centred approach will be more effective in curbing this serious crime and horrendous human rights violation, the OSCE Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings concluded.

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