Trafficking - Council of Europe - Convention - "Slaves at the Heart of Europe"

Do they number 120 000, 180 000, even 500 000? It is very difficult to know exactly how many people have been subjected to trafficking in Europe. Police forces, NGOs and international organisations all agree that the statistics are not accurate. On the other hand, two facts are quite clear to all: the first is that women and children are the main victims of this dreadful trade, and the second is that trafficking is constantly increasing.

The fall of the communist governments, the wars in the Balkans, the impoverishment of populations subjected to the "shock therapy" of market economics and the major developments of the past 15 years in central and eastern Europe have given a great boost to the trafficking of human beings. Lydie Err, in her report to the Parliamentary Assembly, said that 78% of women victims of trafficking were from central or eastern Europe, and that the opening up of borders and the rise in unemployment, together with the disruption of governmental structures, had led to an increase in human trafficking.

Then the tightening up of immigration policies in the countries of the Union had aggravated the situation of the most vulnerable people. In Mrs Err’s opinion, these restrictions encourage the setting up of trafficking channels which deceive women who wish to emigrate. She says that, in eastern Europe, trafficking is linked to organised crime, which uses the proceeds to fund arms or drug trafficking.

The Council of Europe has been sounding the alarm for over 10 years, drawing the attention of member states and other international organisations to the vital need for co-operation to combat trafficking. It is now taking the path of a new European convention, because the time has come to put an end to the dual persecution suffered by the victims of trafficking, who are both exploited by their tormentors and treated as offenders in the countries where they live in veritable slavery.

Trafficking is very closely linked to organised crime, and the same weapons must be used to combat it in Europe as are used against drug trafficking and money laundering. Experience in this field has shown that the use of legal instruments at regional level is a useful way of reinforcing the action taken globally.