Please find enclosed the report of the 3rd National Networking Meeting of the project Towards Global EU Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings which took place on 5 March 2010 in Madrid. Additional Meeting materials such as the list of participants and meeting papers can be found at IOMs Vienna website under the counter-trafficking activities (www.iomvienna.at).
The objective of the Meeting was to contribute to the implementation of the Action Oriented Paper (AOP) on strengthening the EU external dimension on action against THB, which was adopted by the JHA Council in November 2009, and the 2009 October Declaration, which was agreed upon at the Ministerial Conference in Brussels in October 2009.
A number of themes to enhance EU cooperation and coordination against human trafficking were discussed. A primary concern of the meeting was the protection of the human rights of victims and potential victims of trafficking.
A number of priorities were discussed in order to strengthen the EU fight against trafficking and implement the AOP:
Ø implementing existing mechanisms and agreements and creating new specific ones on THB;
Ø promoting a root cause approach to prevent human trafficking;
Ø mainstreaming THB into the EU human rights policy within international fora;
Ø reinforcing the overall understanding of trafficking by creating a THB INDEX, i.e. a concise information system with a limited set of key indicators;
Ø establishing an EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator (EU ATC);
Ø establishing specific anti-trafficking partnerships with relevant countries of origin of trafficking in human beings as well as including THB in cooperation agreements with third countries;
Ø monitoring and evaluating implemented counter-trafficking measures in order to identify best practices and avoid duplication of resources.
The situation of unaccompanied minors (UAMs) was specifically addressed and the meeting expressed its support for the adoption of an EU Action Plan on UAMs. The following priorities on UAMs were discussed:
Ø promoting child-centred research and a child rights-based approach;
Ø preventing and responding to the exploitation of children, including child labour through a monitoring mechanism;
Ø preventing and responding to illegal adoption, including the use of DNA testing and databases;
Ø developing common standards and procedures for dealing with UAMs at points of departure and entry and in destination countries, in line with international standards and giving due consideration to the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, i.e. the right to non-discrimination, a best interests determination for each child, the right to life, survival and development, and the right of the child to have his or her views heard in all matters affecting the child;
Ø promoting the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention to protect children from sexual abuse and sexual exploitation.
Should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Ms. Eurídice Márquez, Counter-Trafficking Coordinator at IOM Vienna (emarquez@iom.int).