| 1. UN focuses on migration and development
as Convention gets more support
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of their Families will hold a Day of General
Discussion focusing on "protecting the rights of all migrant
workers as a tool to enhance development". This will take
place on 15 December during the third session of the Committee
at the United Nations Office in Geneva and will inform input
into the High Level Dialogue of the General Assembly in 2006
on the relationship between international migration and development
(A/RES/58/208). NGO participation in the meeting is welcome.
Details
are available about the programme, how to submit written contributions
and how to register.
On 11 August, Honduras ratified the UN Convention on
the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members
of Their Families. The Convention now has 31 ratifications
and 15 signatures. You can view the present
status of the Convention.
2. US concerned about trafficking of North
Koreans
Ambassador John Miller, the Director of the State Department's
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons stated at
a conference on 19 July that North Korea fails to comply with
minimal international standards to prevent the trafficking in
people across its borders. According to Miller, between 80-90 per cent
of refugees from North Korea end up as trafficking victims in
China, with most ending up in sexual slavery and others sold
into domestic servitude. The Ambassador noted that North Korean
children between the ages of 11 and 17 were sold in northern
China for as little as US$100. More
information on this story is available.
For more on forced migration and trafficking from North Korea
see Anti-Slavery International's new report An
Absence of Choice: The sexual exploitation of North Korean women
in China (this is available here as a PDF file, see
bottom of page about reading PDF files).
3. Trafficking of women and girls increases
in China
The South China Morning Post reported on 4 August, that police are seeing
a change in
internal trafficking of children in China. In the past, most
babies rescued
from traffickers had been boys, but in some areas this year
more than 80 per
cent have been girls. In two examples, police in Xinxiang and
Luoyang rescued
54 babies, 43 of them were girls, and in Xinxiang, police rescued
33 babies,
29 of them girls. The Civil Affairs Department had collected
DNA samples from
all the babies, but no parents had volunteered to be tested.
Meanwhile Guangxi Xinhua reported on 11 August that police
in Guangxi
have rescued over 1,800 Vietnamese women over the last five years.
The
Guangxi police consider that until the mid-1990s the majority
of Vietnamese
women trafficked into China were sold as brides to villagers
in impoverished
areas, but believe now more Vietnamese women are being trafficked
into
China for prostitution. Between 1 July and 10 August alone,
the police
identified 15 cases of cross-border trafficking of Vietnamese
women and
children, apprehended 19 suspects and rescued 58 Vietnamese
women.
4. Thailand opens 24 hour hotline
The Prachabodi 1300 Centre was upgraded in July by the Ministry
of Social
Development and Human Security as part of the government's policy
to
combat human trafficking. It aims to provide counselling and
assistance to
people who have been trafficked themselves or have witnessed
trafficking.
The centre operates 24 hours a day and is staffed by 40 people,
both
government officials and volunteers -- all have trained as counsellors.
Social workers and psychologists are available to provide advice
on how to
handle particularly sensitive cases. Two mobile units will be
on duty for
outdoor operations when help is urgently required.
5. UN Special Rapporteurs request information
on sexual exploitation
The Special Rapporteur on sale of children, child prostitution
and child pornography and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking
in persons, especially women and children are requesting information
from academic, non-governmental and international organisations
for a joint report on demand for services deriving from sexual
exploitation. For a copy of the questionnaire or for more information
contact Jan Arno Hessbruegge at: jhessbruegge@ohchr.org
6. Migration resource
The Migration Information Source has just launched a Country
Resources section with current and comprehensive migration
data and analysis on more than 45 countries worldwide. It brings
together data on migrants, asylum seekers, and demographics
in different nations and links to related source articles and
relevant agencies.
7. Trafficking conference
On 22 September 2005, Capita is holding a conference on Tackling
the Trafficking of Women and Children in Congress Centre,
London. See the Capita
website for details of speakers, the programme for the day
and prices for attending.
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