| 1. UK to draft its first national
action plan to tackle human trafficking
On 5 January, the Home Office launched a public consultation
on its
national action plan
against human trafficking. This is the first action plan on
the issue in the UK and the Government
plans to build upon existing anti-trafficking measures. Anti-Slavery International, Amnesty International, ECPAT UK and UNICEF UK
issued a joint statement urging the Government to include protection for all trafficked people in the action plan and sign the
Council of Europe's European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.
2. US passes Bill on international marriage
brokerage
The International
Marriage Broker Regulation Act
of 2005, will provide foreign women with information to
protect themselves from violent abuse by the men they meet through
international marriage brokers. It also will provide information about their rights
and the resources that are available to victims of violence.
3. US president signs the Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act
United States President George Bush has signed the Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act (available here
as a PDF file, see bottom of page about reading
PDF files). The Bill renews the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000. According to a US Department of
Justice report late last year, 277 traffickers were
prosecuted in the US since 2001. Convictions were obtained in
every case. An estimated 75 per cent of the prosecutions involved
trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Despite this Act, the US Department of Defence still has to adopt
a policy to bar human trafficking and prohibit defence contractor
involvement in trafficking for forced prostitution and
labour.
4. EU policy plan to promote legal migration
European Union Commissioners Franco Frattini and Vladimir Spidla launched a joint
package for managing migration into the EU at the end of December
2005. The policy plan sets out actions to encourage and facilitate
legal economic migration. Concrete legislative proposals, such
as a framework decision on the basic rights of immigrant workers
and four specific directives dealing with conditions of entry,
residence rights, etc. are expected to come in 2007. According
to Commissioner Frattini, this approach aims to combat illegal
immigration by providing a European framework for legal work
migration to the EU.
5. European Parliament adopted report on
strategies to prevent trafficking
The European Parliament has adopted a
report on strategies to prevent the trafficking of women and
children who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation (2004/2216 (INI))
(available here as a PDF file, see bottom of page about
reading PDF files). The report calls on Member States,
especially Germany, to take appropriate measures in the course
of the World Cup football tournament in 2006 to prevent the trafficking
of women and forced prostitution. Members of the European Parliament in the Committee on Women'
s Rights and Gender Equality say that a "right of residence"
for people who have been trafficked, after traffickers have been tried, could encourage trafficked people to
give statements and help secure convictions of offenders.
This provision currently only exists in Belgium and Italy.
6. New internet resource on trafficking
The National Multi-Cultural Institute in Washington, DC launched
a new web site
that provides more than 15,000 web entries of informational
resources on issues related to human trafficking. A "deep
search" search engine can also be found at the site.
7. New publications
The UNHCR's Europe Bureau is issuing an Overview of UNHCR's Anti-Trafficking Activities in Europe. Contact UNHCR for details.
Challenging Trafficking in Persons: Theoretical debate and
practical approaches, published by GTZ Sector Project Against Trafficking in Women. A detailed
summary of the publication is available.
Terre des Hommes Netherlands published Combating
the Worst Forms of Child Labour, from Theory to Best Practices
(available here as a PDF file, see bottom of page about
reading PDF files). |
