United Nations

The Tuesday event was dedicated to gender matters, gender equality and women's empowerment and concluded that gender considerations at all levels of addressing trafficking and smuggling matters. Experts addressed and discussed how gender-responsive approaches strengthen access to justice, protection and support measures for victims of gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and sexual violence, also as part of aggravated migrant smuggling. The first expert, Lori Mann, reminded the audience to consider intersectionalities, including gender, age, migration status, belonging to ethnic minorities, disabilities as well as understanding of local languages among others, as additional important factors when thinking about accessible, trauma-informed and gender-responsive criminal justice systems. She also explained how gendered norms and harmful practices can mask human trafficking. Thus, making victim identification and protection even more difficult. The second speaker, Maria Biela Alonso, emphasized how sexual violence committed as part of the smuggling of migrants has to be better understood by criminal justice practitioners in order to prosecute the crime and support its victims. She outlined how we need to collect gender-disaggregated data and provide gender analysis when we want to really understand underlying factors and dynamics. Therefore, investing in gender expertise is imperative. Marcelo Colombo, the third speaker of the panel discussion, agreed that we need more understanding of the role women play as part of smuggling and trafficking but also female victimization and how the continuum of violence influences their trauma, the way they are controlled by abusers and traffickers and how the criminal justice system can support and protect them. The speakers concluding by identifying priorities for our gender-responsive approach to trafficking and smuggling: understanding coercion and control and how it affects victims, LGBTQI+ dimensions of trafficking and smuggling as well as overcoming stereotypes and gender biases when assessing victim testimonies.
This event has brought together very committed, engaged and insightful speakers! We at UNODC look forward to continuing this important discussion with all of you and making our work towards gender equality and women's empowerment stronger and better informed each day.