WUNRN
COALITION ON TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN STATEMENT ON 2012-2016 EU STRATEGY TO
ERADICATE HUMAN TRAFFICKING - REDUCE DEMAND !
To: Gert Rogers, Policy Officer, Trafficking in
Human Beings, European Commission
From Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Europe
Re: Communication from the Commission to The
European Parliament, The Council, The European Economic and Social Committee
and The Committee of the Regions
The
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Europe (CATW, Europe) welcomes the
Communication from the Commission concerning the EU Strategy towards the
Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016. The CATW has maintained an active presence in
Europe since its founding in 1988 when it became the first organization
organized to combat trafficking on an international level.
For many
years, CATW has confronted trafficking in persons, especially women and
children, from the perspective of a woman’s right to be free from sexual
exploitation. We therefore applaud The Communication for its emphasis on
trafficking as a gender-based offense. In this context, we are pleased to see
The Communication confirm the UNODC data that the majority of known victims are
trafficked for sexual exploitation, and that women and girls are the main
victims. We also support the attention devoted to the fact that victims should
not be victimized and re-victimized. Especially during this European economic
crisis, we see more and more women from countries in crisis being trafficked
throughout the continent. For example, many Greek women have already been
trafficked throughout the Schengen region. All of this information and these
recent events confirm the necessity for action to be taken that addresses the
particular situation of women and that proceeds from a women’s rights
framework.
There are,
however, sections of the Communication that that are of major concern to us.
Setting the Scene - In citing the instruments that
are of special import to the problem of trafficking, we are puzzled that
several do not appear. In particular, we
question why the 1949 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic
in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others is not
cited or even footnoted. The majority of the EU member states have ratified
this convention, as well as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women, which is also missing from the
acknowledgments.
All conditions of trafficking elaborated in the UN Palermo Protocol on
Trafficking and the European Warsaw Convention should be mentioned, not only
those relating to “force, coercion or fraud” but also abuse of power or of a
person’s vulnerability. Both the Palermo
Protocol and the Council of Europe Convention contain the important
definitional provision that “The consent of a victims of trafficking to the
intended exploitation…shall be irrelevant” where any of these means have been
used. Therefore, all victims of trafficking are protected, not just those who
can prove force.
Understanding and Reducing Demand – In this context, we also recall the Council on the Status of Women (CSW) resolution of 2005 to “eliminate the demand leading to trafficking for sexual exploitation;” as well as the human trafficking policy of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) making it a punishable offense for UN military, peacekeepers and related personnel to solicit women for sexual activities in prostitution, even if prostitution is legal in the jurisdiction where UN peacekeepers operate.
In light of the emphasis in The Communication on trafficking as a
gender-based violation, we are surprised to see that demand has no gender in
this document, particularly as it relates to trafficking for sexual
exploitation– i.e., that it is mainly men who buy women for purposes of sexual
exploitation.
The Communication footnotes the IOM “Buy Responsibly” campaign to
suggest that it can be used as a best practice to reduce demand “for all forms
of trafficking, including sexual exploitation.” However, the IOM “Buy
Responsibly” campaign correctly limits its campaign to buying products
responsibly. Women are not products, nor
should they be bought and sold as products, even “responsibly.” The reference
is therefore deceptive in that a campaign that makes no mention of buying
sexual activities responsibly should be suggested as a strategy to reduce
demand for trafficking for sexual exploitation.
We realize that some countries in Europe have taken the road of
encouraging men to buy women in prostitution “responsibly.” The Crimestoppers
Campign in the Netherlands is such an example where men who buy women for
sexual activities are exhorted to enlist buyers in reporting abuse and
encouraged not to use force or coercion when they buy. However, several other
countries in Europe have specifically rejected this policy and the practices
that follow from it. Sweden, Iceland and Norway have legislation that penalizes
the buyers and does not accept that there are “responsible” ways to buy sexual
activities. In 2011, all parties in the French National Assembly affirmed
France’s abolitionist policy on prostitution, resolved that legal acceptance of prostitution is incompatible
with French policies that promote gender equality and human rights, and
expressed the need to criminalize the buyers.
In understanding and reducing demand, it is necessary first of all to
understand that demand has different meanings when challenging labor
trafficking and trafficking for sexual exploitation. We should not confuse the
two, which The Communication appears to do in suggesting that the IOM “Buy
Responsibly” campaign can be used as a best practice to understand and reduce
demand.
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Europe, stands ready to
share the outcome of its work, particularly that done in 16 countries of
Europe, on understanding and reducing demand.
We note that research is to be conducted on “Reducing the Demand for
Services Provided by Victims of Trafficking” in 2013; and that “Models and
Guidelines on the Reduction of Demand” are projected to be ready by 2016.
We hope that women’s NGOs representing broad experience on these issues
are not only consulted but also play an active part in the writing of the
research and the proposals that issue from this research that will serve as
models and guidelines for understanding and reducing demand.
Sincerely,
Malka
Marcovich
European
Regional Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Janice G.
Raymond
Board of
Directors, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International
Contact - malka.marcovich@gmail.com