WUNRN
EUROPEAN UNION ANTI-TRAFFICKING DAY
- OCTOBER 18
European Anti-Trafficking Day
The EU Must Step Up Efforts to
Eliminate Sex Trafficking
“Trafficking in women and girls for sexual
exploitation remains the most dominant form of trafficking in Europe today, and
the EU must step up efforts to target traffickers, pimps, and the sex industry
that makes its profits from the sexual exploitation of women and girls”, stated
In order to highlight the issues at stake, and
also to give visibility to initiatives undertaken by both NGOs and government agencies
to counteract trafficking in women and girls, the European Women’s Lobby
organised a seminar in the European Parliament at the occasion of the European
Anti-trafficking Day (18 October), with the participation of Members of the
European Parliament from all political groups. Drawing upon the expertise of
its member organisations working in the field, the EWL has taken a lead in
implementing innovative actions, bridging between policy and practice in this
field for the last ten years, and it is now time to hold EU policy-makers
accountable and ask them to show what is actually being done to stop
trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation.
“We are in particular looking forward to
European countries taking increased action to curb the demand for women in the
sex industry by targeting buyers of sexual services. If there was no demand,
there would be no business for pimps, and no need for a supply chain providing
women from different parts of
EU policies as well as national approaches
against trafficking need to be more focused on the needs and protection of the
women and girls that are being trafficked – and less focused on immigration
related responses. Restrictive immigration policies, stricter border controls,
and biometric ID systems will not make people less vulnerable to trafficking.
On the contrary. It is time that the EU and the
Focus on support and assistance to women that
have been trafficked for sexual exploitation is the focus of a current EWL
coordinated project in the Nordic–Baltic region, where a Nordic Baltic Network
has been set up, bringing together NGOs and government agencies working
together to assist women victims of trafficking and to prevent trafficking. “This
is a unique experience, where a multi country partnership between NGOs and
government bodies has been put in place, acting as a kind of regional referral
mechanism, in order to strengthen victim support and assistance in the Nordic
Baltic region. Other regions in
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The
European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organisations of women’s
associations in the EU, representing over 2000 member organisations in 28
European States. The EWL aims at promoting women’s rights and equality between
women and men in the EU. EWL is committed to work for the protection and
promotion of women’s rights, and to work against violence against women in all
its forms, including trafficking and prostitution.
In
2005, the Nordic-Baltic Taskforce against trafficking appointed the European
Women’s Lobby regional co-ordinator of a 3-year pilot project, which aims to be
a starting point for long-term change in the region, developing victim-centred
and durable models for support and reintegration of women victims of
trafficking (VOTs) for sexual exploitation in and between the Nordic and Baltic
countries. The Project aims to create a regional programme for the assistance
to and protection of women victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation; to
act as a starting point for long-term change in the region when it comes to
victim support and durable solutions regarding victim assistance; and to
strengthen the gender equality perspective in anti-trafficking policies and
practise.
_____________________________________________________________
Malin Björk, Nordic Baltic Project
Director:
+32 474 950 460 bjork@womenlobby.org
European Women’s Lobby offices: +32 2 217
90 20
Web sites: www.womenlobby.org / www.nordicbaltic-assistwomen.net
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