When Dana read an ad from a travel agency inviting women from the Republic of Moldova to spend a summer in Italy working as waitresses in a nightclub, she did not think twice about seizing the opportunity. The 19-year-old had long dreamed of going to Italy; now she could do so - and even earn good money. Dana responded to the ad and soon after made the fateful journey from her country, nestled between Ukraine and Romania, west to Italy. Upon arrival, Dana found herself trapped in a nightmare.
In order to enhance national action and contribute to the international effort to fight human trafficking, the UNODC Regional Office for Brazil and the Southern Cone, together with the Brazilian National Justice Council (CNJ) and the National Secretary for Justice (SNJ) have committed to collecting and disseminating information regarding all judicial action in Brazil on human trafficking through the UNODC global Human Trafficking Case Law Database.
It is expected that by the end of 2012 at least 50 Brazilian judicial proceedings will be documented in the UNODC Case Law Database.
Wendy's Bahamas, a franchise of the Wendy's international fast food chain, has joined the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) and the new Bahamas National Task Force on Trafficking in Persons to launch a unique "anti-trafficking in persons" tray liner in its 10 restaurants in Nassau and Grand Bahama.
Taking a firm stand against human trafficking, especially child trafficking, in the tourism sector, the heads of two United Nations bodies today pledged to stamp out this hidden scourge through joint efforts. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC and Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), also called for concerted global action at every level of society.
UNODC and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) today signed an agreement in which they pledged closer cooperation to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling and to improve border management, bearing in mind the cross-cutting theme of corruption. The memorandum of understanding was signed by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing and UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov.
Portugal is the latest European country to join the Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking. At any given time, an estimated 140,000 victims of human trafficking are trapped in this vicious cycle of violence, abuse and degradation across Europe. UNODC research shows that victims are often duped by a recruiter who is a relative, a supposed friend or someone they trust.
The President of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, today called on Member States, civil society, the private sector and the media to step up efforts to bring an end to human trafficking, which he called "an appalling form of human rights abuse". "Human trafficking denies individuals their dignity, reducing them to mere objects by shamelessly exploiting them," he said.
United Nations private-sector focal points and senior executives from major global business corporations met in Vienna on 28 and 29 March to devise a more consistent and coherent approach to private-sector engagement across the United Nations system to promote development. The forum examined new types of transformational partnerships for development and shared best practices that would contribute to the achievement of internationally agreed development goals.
Senior staff from UNODC and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) met today to discuss ways to cooperate and coordinate their activities. Opening the session, the Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, stressed the importance of their two mandates and called on staff present to find ways in which UNODC and OSCE can add value to each other's work.
Les hauts fonctionnaires de l'ONUDC et de l'Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE) se sont entretenus aujourd'hui sur des possibilités de coopération et de coordination de leurs activités.
Inaugurant la session, le Directeur exécutif de l'ONUDC, M. Yury Fedotov, a souligné l'importance de leurs deux mandats et a appelé le personnel présent à trouver des moyens pour l'ONUDC et l'OSCE de joindre leurs forces.
On 28 March 2012 the joint UN Commentary on selected articles of the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting victims was launched at the European Parliament.
Working together six United Nations agencies (UNODC, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNICEF, ILO and UN Women) have published a commentary on selected articles of the EU Directive 2011/36/EU.
Reade more here.
25 March 2012 marks the fifth International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
In commemoration of the memory of those victimized, the General Assembly, in its resolution 62/122 of 17 December 2007, declared 25 March the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade observed annually.
This year's theme of...
On a rare occasion, 35 senior officials of Federal and provincial governments, including the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), provincial police Home Departments, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Human Resources Development, sat side by side to explore strategies to better combat the crimes of smuggling of persons and trafficking in persons at a UNODC hosted workshop, "Strategic Dialogue on Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons".
Trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants are global problems affecting states everywhere, and the well-being of countless individuals around the world. Having worked on these issues since the late 1990s, UNODC has now issued a comprehensive strategy setting out the complementary nature of UNODC's work in preventing and combating both human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and defining the immediate priorities for UNODC's future action and engagement on these crimes.
Read more here.
Ximena Navarrete, Miss Universe 2010 and native of the Mexican state of Jalisco, has declared her support for the UNODC Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking. "Humans are not for sale, either in Jalisco or anywhere else in the world", said Navarrete on taking up her awareness-raising role, which is targeted at young people and families in her home state.
Backes and Strauss, the London-based watchmakers, have decided to support UNODC in raising funds for victims of human trafficking by launching an exclusive line of "Victoria Blue Heart watches". The watches were launched yesterday at a special event at the Hotel des Bergues, Geneva.
Working together six United Nations agencies (UNODC, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNICEF, ILO and UN Women) have published a commentary on selected articles of the EU Directive 2011/36/EU.
Over the past decade, the European Union has stepped up its efforts to fight human trafficking strengthening its focus on prevention and protection of victims. The adoption of the 2011 Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims, replacing Council Framework Decision, is the most recent sign of the continued commitment of the European Union in this field. The Directive represents a critical step in addressing human trafficking comprehensively.
As part of its efforts to forge partnerships with the private sector, the UNODC Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking has entered into a joint venture with luxury fashion label Beulah London, a socially conscious brand which, through the manufacture of its fashion items, works with women who have escaped the sex trade in India.
UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov today met Lamberto Zannier, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to discuss a joint action plan that will see the two organizations cooperate in tackling organized crime and illicit drugs. The two organizations intend to undertake substantive, long-term cooperation in combating transnational threats, with particular focus on illicit drugs, illicit firearms and terrorism.
UNODC and IOM emphasised the need for a multidimensional, coordinated approach on trafficking in persons including the prevention and victim support services as one of the most exigent issues in human trafficking, at a workshop that took place in Tirana, Albania during 14 to16 December 2011.
High-level representatives of the Government of Lebanon led government officials, local non-governmental organizations, media and UNODC staff in the official launch of the Blue Heart Campaign in Beirut last weekend. Speaking at the launch, Mr. Masood Karimipour, Regional Representative of the UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, said: "We are very pleased to note that Lebanon is the first country in the region to join the Blue Heart campaign."
15 December 2011 - UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov met with Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand as she led a delegation to the reconvened twentieth session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which was held in Vienna on 12 and 13 December. Mr. Fedotov expressed condolences to the families of more than 600 Thai nationals who lost their lives in the recent floods in Thailand and to all others affected by that crisis, and said that UNODC would provide assistance in post-crisis activities.
Awareness raising video on migrant smuggling
The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT)
The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) is a policy forum mandated to improve coordination among UN agencies and other relevant international organizations to facilitate an integrated approach to preventing and combating trafficking in persons.
The first ICAT meeting was held in Tokyo in September 2006 in response to the ECOSOC Resolution 2006/27, which called for strengthening the coordination of anti-trafficking efforts among relevant UN agencies and other organizations. ICAT was offcially established in March 2007 by General Assembly Resolution 61/180.
More about ICAT.
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, 2 December, marks the date of the adoption, by the General Assembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others ( resolution 317(IV) of 2 December 1949).
Today, the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. In his message to commemorate the Day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "Violence against women and girls takes many forms and is widespread throughout the globe. Whether in developing or developed countries, the pervasiveness of this violence should shock us all. Violence - and in many cases the mere threat of it - is one of the most significant barriers to women's full equality."
UNODC and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at furthering joint cooperation in combating human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants. The memorandum, which was signed by UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov and UNHCR High Commissioner António Guterres, is the first formal cooperation agreement between the two United Nations entities.
The United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking, managed by UNODC, has announced the release of its first tranche of funding for frontline organizations working with survivors of human trafficking. Some $300,000 will be disbursed under the 2011 Small Grants Facility to 12 organizations around the world working at the forefront of services provided to trafficking victims.
Human trafficking is a truly global phenomenon and a crime which affects nearly every part of the world, whether as a source, transit or destination country. According to UNODC, victims from at least 127 countries have been identified, and it is estimated that more than 2.4 million people are being exploited by criminals at any given time. More than a decade after the adoption of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, most countries have criminalized most forms of human trafficking in their legislation.
Colombia is the latest country to join the Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking, with the signature of a "letter of intent" between UNODC and one of Colombia's biggest broadcasting corporations, Caracol. This corporate social responsibility agreement will heighten awareness of human trafficking among a wider audience, especially vulnerable groups such as displaced people and young women.
The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime held in October 2010 decided in its resolution 5/2 that the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons should continue to advise and assist it in the implementation of its mandate with regard to the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. The fourth session of the Working Group on Trafficking will be held in Vienna, Austria from 10 to 12 October 2011.
Speaking at two separate yet related events this week on the issue of human trafficking, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov reiterated the need for sustained efforts in fighting that crime at all levels. "It is only through working together from the community level right through to the international arena that we can break this crime and put an end to human trafficking," Mr. Fedotov said.
In a move aimed at bolstering national efforts to combat and prevent human trafficking, Mexico became the first country in the world to adopt the UNODC-led Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking in April 2010. As an international symbol to promote the rights of human trafficking victims, the Campaign encourages officials, civil society and members of the public across the globe to take a stand against what is a form of modern-day slavery. Last month, the city of Querétaro became the world's first municipality to join the Blue Heart Campaign.
The UNODC Human Trafficking First Aid Kit for Law Enforcement Agencies has been designed to support front-line officers who may come into contact with cases of human trafficking.
As well as a full e-version, the First Aid Kit has been released as a sample, or demonstration model carry case containing different types of concise yet useful information, providing guidance to first responders, who can play a vital role in determining the fate of a trafficked person by identifying indicators of human trafficking.
The First Aid Kit has been designed by the UNODC Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Unit in response to the need identified by many practitioners in different regions of the world to make easy-to-use information available to all law enforcement officers, to increase the identification of trafficked persons.
Read more and download the full package of the First Aid Kit here.
Arabic - French - English - Spanish - Russian
Affected for Life promotes awareness of human trafficking. The film is targeted at prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers and other specialized audiences, and illustrates the elements and different forms of human trafficking. The film is available in both full-length and abbreviated versions in English, with other official UN languages versions to follow.
UNODC, in the framework of the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) has developed the Needs Assessment Toolkit on the Criminal Justice Response to Human Trafficking.
The main objective of the toolkit is to guide the assessors in gathering and analyzing information pertaining to a country's criminal justice response to human trafficking. More specifically, it aims to assist governments, the civil society, the international community and other relevant actors to conduct a comprehensive or specific assessment of selected aspects of a country's criminal justice response to trafficking in persons. The toolkit contains a number of components that are crucial for curtailing the crime of trafficking in persons and provides sufficient flexibility to be used for assessments both in places where a solid infrastructure for combating trafficking in persons exists and in places with few or no such measures.
VITA is a unique new tool using audio messages, that allows law enforcement officials to provide a level of basic assistance to victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking survivors contributed to the development of these messages, which were also supported by experts in human trafficking focused on victims' needs.
This audio tool, consisting of key encounter messages, was developed to facilitate the identification of a trafficked person and the launch of a criminal investigation. Thirty-five basic questions and messages have been recorded and translated into 40 languages, taking into account special questions for children.
In a move to toughen the law against human trafficking in Mexico, President Felipe Calderón recently passed a draft amendment to three articles of the country's Political Constitution. During a ceremony held at the Official Residence, President Calderón noted that the constitutional amendments will provide more protection for victims of human trafficking and afford Mexico better tools and laws to counter this crime in an efficient and coordinated manner.
In a move to toughen the law against human trafficking in Mexico, President Felipe Calderón recently signed a draft amendment to three articles of the country's Political Constitution. During a ceremony held at the official residence, President Calderón noted that the constitutional amendments would provide more protection for victims of human trafficking and afford Mexico better tools and laws to counter that crime in an efficient and coordinated manner.
The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) has won a prestigious award for two stamp editions which highlight human trafficking and child labour. At the ceremony for the forty-first Asiago International Awards for Philatelic Art, held in Italy on 17 July, UNPA received the prize for "best stamps in the world" for 2010. The winning stamp sheets highlighted "Human Trafficking - Blue Heart Campaign (UNODC)" by UNPA Vienna and "Against Child Labour (ILO and GenevaWorld)" by UNPA Geneva.
In the framework of the project on "Strengthening the criminal justice capacity to disrupt key human trafficking routes in Egypt, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan", a training workshop for 30 Egyptian police officers was held by the UNODC Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior. The meeting took place at the Police Academy in Cairo, Egypt from 18 to 20 July 2011. The training workshop was based on the modules of the UNODC Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners and aimed at strengthening the capacity of police officers both as first responders to human trafficking and as investigators of trafficking in persons cases.
Balmani - a young girl from the rural part of Jharkhand (a State with a high number of human trafficking victims) who received livelihood training in housekeeping and is now able to support her mother's medical treatment. Chandni - a 14-year-old girl from Kishanganj, Bihar (another major source State for human trafficking), who narrowly escaped being sold to a 45-year-old stranger for marriage.
In May 2011, Government of India ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its three protocols. India is one of the five countries in South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and very recently Nepal, to ratify the UNTOC.
On the occasion of the Indian Government ratifying the UNTOC, UNODC interviewed the Union Home Secretary, Mr G K Pillai, to understand the significance of the UNTOC and its three protocols for India, especially in the context of addressing human trafficking in the country and South Asia.
Inequalities in income, education and opportunities are major root causes of human trafficking, inducing many to migrate to seek for a better life. Thousands of migrants instead become victims of labour exploitation, a new form of slavery that occurs on a massive scale. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is hosting a conference entitled "Preventing Trafficking in Human Beings for Labour Exploitation: Decent Work and Social Justice".
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) investigates the involvement of organized criminal groups in the smuggling of migrants from West Africa towards the European Union (EU). Information in the report was compiled by a team of researchers from West Africa and Europe using both documentary studies and field research conducted in Mali, the Niger, Nigeria and Spain.
Read more here
During the 20th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI), the Permanent Mission of Finland and UNODC organized a side event to present a new HEUNI three country study.
The side event focused on trafficking in persons for forced labour and forced labour exploitation. The panel, chaired by UNODC, was composed of representatives from HEUNI, the Council of the Baltic Sea States Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings (CBSS-TF-THB) and the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy (ICCLR).