Briefing on WG for the CBSS TF THB 16.3.2010

15.3.2010/Memo/Briefing to the CBSS TF-THBThe BSPC Working Group on Civil Security/TraffickingMany thanks for inviting us to this meeting of the Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings. We appreciate it, and it is fully in line with a pronounced ambition from both BSPC and CBSS to strengthen the bonds between us.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at raising awareness and building opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable environmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context.BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regional parliaments and 5 parliamentary organizations around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes a unique parliamentary bridge between all the EU- and non-EU countries of the Baltic Sea Region.The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference is the annual general assembly in the Baltic Sea region for broad political debate on Baltic Sea issues. The Conference resolutions are political tools which enables the BSPC to take and support political initiatives, and to approach the governments and regional organizations on issues of common interest.The BSPC Working Groups are political vehicles with the overall objective of elaborating joint political positions and recommendations on issues of common interest in the Baltic Sea Region.The fight against trafficking was addressed in a couple of paras in the 18th BSPC Resolution, which called upon the Governments of the BSR, and the CBSS, to18. step up strategic and operational cooperation between law enforcement authorities and other relevant actors in order to strengthen the joint capacity to identify, monitor and take forceful action against organized cross-border crime, such as trafficking in human beings, drug trafficking, illicit trade, corruption, money laundering, illegal migration, illegal labour, hate crimes, and others;19. intensify cooperation against trafficking in human beings, placing emphasis on, i.a., preventive measures, protection and support – by means of e.g. safehouses – for victims and people at risk, as well as strategies and measures against the root causes of trafficking;20. improve and coordinate data collection concerning the scale of the problems of trafficking in human beings in order to provide a realistic basis for the development of adequate measures to fight the problem;21. carry out the adoption, implementation and coordination of proper legislation – in accordance with relevant UN and Council of Europe protocols and conventions of which they are parties – against trafficking in human beings, which targets all forms of exploitation and includes measures to assist victims;The 18th BSPC decided to establish two new Working Groups, one on Integrated Maritime Policy, especially infrastructure and logistics, and one on Civil Security, especially Trafficking in Human Beings. The Groups shall submit reports to the 20th BSPC.The Working Group is chaired by Line Barfod, MP, Denmark. Vice Chairmen are André O Dahl, MP, Norway, and Johan Linander, MP, Sweden. Altogether, the WG presently consists of 12 MP ́s from around the BSR.The aim of the WG is to elaborate political positions and recommendations on civil security issues. Its main focus will be trafficking in human beings, understood as a form of modern slavery and exploitation.Furthermore, the Working Group should promote the exchange of experiences on successful efforts of the countries. The Working Group and its members should raise political focus on civil security issues – especially on trafficking in human beings – on the national agendas of the member ́s home Parliaments and Governments.The Group will present a mid-way report to the 19th BSPC, and a final report to the 20th BSPC.The Working Group held its inaugural meeting in Copenhagen on 3 february 2010. Eva Biaudet, former OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and Christer Pursiainen, Senior Advisor at CBSS, gave background presentations on trafficking and civil security.The second meeting of the Working Group will be convened in Stockholm on 8 April. We will then arrange a “mini-hearing”, addressing i.a. cooperation in the BSR. Anna will be there, together with Lars Lööf and Patrik Cederlöf, National Coordinator on prostitution and Trafficking.In subsequent meetings, themes will be, i.a., victims, children, prosecution, media, and the economic aspects of trafficking (“analyzing trafficking as a business model”). This seems like a very interesting and promising – although complicated – approach to the issue.That ́s a very general overview of the BSPC WG CS. The work has just started. I want to reiterate that it is of great importance to us to have sustained contacts with other actors in this field.I ́d like to conclude by underlining that we do not want to contribute to duplication or overlapping in this field. For us – the MP ́s – it is essential find out firstly, the specific comparative advantages and the added value that parliamentarians can bring to the fight against THB, and secondly, to find out in which specific issues or areas a parliamentary pressure is most likely to yield significant results in the fight against THB.So, one could say that this is our attempt to provide concerted political support from all the parliaments in the BSR to the fight against trafficking. There is, obviously, a continuous need to exert political pressure on governments and other responsible actors to sustain and step up the fight against trafficking.Thank you.