An online meeting of the European Network of National Rapporteurs and Equivalent Mechanisms was held
An online meeting of the European Network of National Rapporteurs and Equivalent Mechanisms was held on 7 May 2021, with the participation of over 40 representatives from EU Member States. The main focus of the meeting was the presentation of the new European Strategy against Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025), which was adopted on 14 April 2021 by the European Commission, together with the European Strategy to Combat Organised Crime. The priorities and objectives set out in the two strategic documents and the key actions to reach them envisaged by the Commission were presented. As trafficking in human beings is often carried out by organised crime groups, the Strategy to combat trafficking in human beings is closely linked to the Strategy to Combat Organised Crime. The complex nature of the crime was highlighted, as well as approaches that include initiatives at a legislative, operational and policy-making level.
The meeting reviewed the responses provided by Member States to several questions concerning current trends in relation to trafficking in human beings nationally, including the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation, challenges in tackling child trafficking, as well as challenges and methods to improve collection, analysis and reporting of data on trafficking in human beings.
In the context of the current Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, presentations were made by Marta Pereira of the Family Planning Association and Rita Penedo, Director of the Observatory on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at Portugal’s Ministry of The Interior. Ms Pereira presented a multidisciplinary approach to dealing with cases of trafficking in human beings, including enhanced cooperation with police authorities, local organisations and agencies from the National Referral System to provide protection and support to victims and their reintegration. Ms. Penedo presented the Observatory's activities as well as the main steps and stages of the process of planning, collecting, storing, managing, analyzing, presenting and disseminating data on trafficking in human beings.
In relation to one of the current issues, namely the increasing use of information technology by traffickers in the recruitment and exploitation processes of victims, a statement was made by Val Richey, Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The need to implement a systematic and strategic approach, including in terms of reducing demand, engaging the technology sector and business in preventing and preventing trafficking in human beings through the formulation of clear responsibilities and mandatory ones, were one of its main priorities.