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Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceT he BSPC Working Group on Traffickingin Human BeingsFinal report of the BSPCWorking Group on Traffickingin Human BeingsBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Secretariatwww.bspc.netc/o Nordic CouncilVed Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen K.Phone (+45) 33 96 04 00www.norden.org.US 2011:416Final report of the Working Groupon Trafficking in Human BeingsAugust 2011Final report of the Working Group The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conferenceon Trafficking in Human Beings (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum forUS 2011:416 political dialogue between parliamentarians fromthe Baltic Sea Region. BSPC gathers parliamentar-© Nordic Council, Copenhagen 2011Print: Rosendahls – Schultz Grafisk ians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regionalText: Mette Vestergaard parliaments and 5 parliamentary organizationsPhotos: Jan Widberg around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes aCopies: 100 unique parliamentary bridge between all the EU-and non-EU countries of the Baltic Sea Region.Printed on environmentally-friendly paperBSPC aims at raising awareness and opinion onissues of current political interest and relevancefor the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drivesvarious initiatives and efforts to support a sus-tainable environmental, social and economicdevelopment of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives atenhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea RegionBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and its issues in a wider European context. Thewww.bspc.net Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference is the annualgeneral assembly in the Baltic Sea Region forJan Widbergbroad political debate on Baltic Sea issues. Thejw@norden.orgConference resolutions are political tools whichHead of BSPC Secretariatenables the BSPC to launch and sustain politicalinitiatives, and to approach the governmentsand regional organizations on issues of commonc/o Nordic Councilinterest. The BSPC has a number of working bod-Ved Stranden 18ies at its disposal, which serve as resources forDK-1061 Copenhagen K.driving and implementing BSPC priorities andPhone (+45) 33 96 04 00objectives. A Standing Committee is responsiblewww.norden.org.for the follow-up of BSPC resolutions, for identify-ing and addressing issues within the BSPC field ofresponsibility, and for preparing the annual Con-ferences. The BSPC Working Groups are politicalvehicles with the overall objective of elaboratingjoint political positions and recommendationson issues of common interest in the Baltic SeaRegion. BSPC external interfaces include parlia-mentary, governmental, sub-regional and otherorganizations in the Baltic Sea Region and theNorthern Dimension area, among them CBSS,HELCOM, the Northern Dimension Partnershipin Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS),the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation(BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum.Contents5Preface .................................................................7Political recommendations. ..........................................11Setting the scene. ...................................................15Background. .........................................................Working Group’s activitiesOwn activitiesRelated activities17Inquiries .............................................................21Members of the Working Group ...................................Annex 123Mandate of the Working Group. ...................................Annex 2Selected Basic Texts and Activities by InternationalOrganizations concerning the Fight against Trafficking25in Human Beings ....................................................Annex 3Midterm Report – Working Group Chairman’s speech at the19th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference 29–31 August 201042in Mariehamn, Åland. ...............................................Annex 4Final Report – Working Group Chairman’s speech at the20th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Helsinki,4728–30 August 2011..................................................Annex 551List of experts who have addressed the Working Group ........51. PrefaceThe political recommendations from the Working Group consistboth of the recommendations submitted to the 19th BSPC in 2010(paras 1 – 6) and the supplementary recommendations discussedat the Working Group meetings since then. The input from theWorking Group to the main resolution of the 20th BSPC in Helsinki28–30 August 2011 will only consist of paras 7 – 15 below.The basic format of the recommendations is that they areaddressed to the governments in the Baltic Sea Region, the CBSSand the EU.The Working Group has made an effort to be very precise whenformulating the recommendations, but each of them deals with itsown specific theme which can be formulated as follows:1. Signing and ratification of international conventions2. Recognition of trafficking as an international cross-bordercrime3. Secure and long term funding4. Coordinated and transparent system for information exchange5. Victim-based approach respecting human rights6. Strengthening the operational capacity7. Follow the money8. Forced labour9. Children10. The efficiency of existing legislation and political and judicialsystem11. Awareness raising12. Joint understanding among all actors in the region13. Continuous evaluation and reporting on the progress14. Reducing the drainage of experienced personnel15. Identification and incrimination of the middlemen and to theparliamentarians themselves to establish networks of parlia-mentariansTrafficking is an international cross-border crime that requiresinternational cooperation and concerted action across borders.According to the Working Group the most important elements inthe fight against this crime are to secure long term funding of forinstance public authorities, specialized agencies, NGOs and inter-governmental organizations and projects, to apply victim-based,with particular emphasis on children, approach respecting humanrights and to follow the money flows stemming from trafficking.72. Political Recommendations1. sign, ratify and accede, for those countries that have not alreadydone so, to all relevant international conventions, protocols anddecisions, such as the Trafficking in Persons Protocol (“ThePalermo Protocol”), the Council of Europe Convention onAction Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and other interna-tional agreements; consequently, national legislation and admin-istration of justice should, where necessary, be reviewed andamended in order to ensure conformity with international con-ventions and protocols and to enable legislation that criminal-izes all chains of trafficking in human beings;2. recognize that trafficking in human beings (THB) is an interna-tional cross-border crime that requires international coopera-tion and concerted action across borders, but also that theactual exploitation of victims is perpetrated locally and there-fore should be fought by enhanced local plans and resources,including efforts to curb the demand for sexual services fromvictims of trafficking;3. allocate sufficient, permanent and dedicated funds andresources to, for instance, public authorities, specialized agen-cies, NGOs, and inter-governmental organizations and projects,such as the CBSS Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings, inorder to maintain the pursuit of persistent and sustained effortsagainst trafficking in human beings, for example by measuressuch as the Nordic Council internal instruction on using onlythose hotels that can issue a guarantee that they do not engagein any facilitation of selling or buying sexual services;4. promote the development of an interoperable, coordinated andtransparent system for the collection, analysis, exchange anddissemination of information on trafficking in human beings, inorder to enhance the understanding of the problem, developadequate measures against it, improve the capacity to identifyvictims of trafficking, support investigation and prosecution oftrafficking cases, and provide best possible assistance to victimsof trafficking;5. ensure that a victim-centered approach is adopted in all meas-ures and actions against trafficking in human beings, meaningthat trafficking is exploitation irrespective of where it takes8place or what form it takes, that the human rights of traffickedpersons should be at the centre of all efforts against trafficking,that victims should be protected, assisted and empowered, andthat victims and relatives of victims should receive uncondi-tional assistance regardless of their status, their willingness toparticipate in criminal proceedings against traffickers or thekind of exploitation experienced;6. promote and support the development of the operationalcapacity to fight trafficking in the field; efficient cooperationmodels should be developed both between relevant stateactors – such as the police, prosecutors, social welfare authori-ties and migration authorities – and with NGOs, in order tostrengthen the chain of assistance and protection of witnesses,victims and relatives of victims and to increase the number ofconvictions of the perpetrators.7. initiate and support extended analyses of the economic aspectsof trafficking in human beings, promote coordination betweenrelevant authorities and institutions to detect money flowsstemming from trafficking in human beings, enhance the capa-bilities and cooperation of police, tax authorities and other rel-evant institutions to track money emanating from THB andstrengthen the legal and administrative means to confiscateproceeds from, as well as imposing stern fines on, thoseengaged in THB;8. promote efforts to gain more extensive knowledge of thenature and scope of trafficking in human beings for forcedlabour, initiate and support the development of joint strategiesin cooperation with trade unions and employer’s organizationsand relevant authorities, strengthen legislative and operationalmeans of identifying and combating trafficking in humanbeings for forced labour and conduct public information cam-paigns about trafficking in human beings for forced labour;9. address the special problems of trafficked children in legisla-tion and in administrative guidelines, employing a multi-disci-plinary approach and multi-sectoral coordination with thechild’s best interest as an overarching priority; this includes e.g.that a child should not be detained as a matter of principle, aformal policy of non-punishment, and a guaranteed provisionof shelters with suitable facilities tailored to the needs of thechildren, including professional personnel trained in buildingtrust with children in order to prevent their disappearancesfrom the shelters;910. investigate, e g by requests to responsible authorities, the effi-ciency and relevance of existing legislation and legal measuresagainst trafficking in human beings, and develop and adapt,where appropriate, legislation to adequately respond to currentand developing forms of trafficking in human beings andstrengthen coordination between various sectors of the politi-cal and judicial system;11. make efforts to raise awareness of trafficking in human beings,e g by supporting and conducting public information cam-paigns and outreach activities, such as the “Safe Trip” campaignby CBSS (www.safetrip.se) as well as similar initiatives by e gprivate companies and NGOs, and also support measures tofacilitate the reporting to authorities of suspect cases of traf-ficking in human beings, e g by means of hotlines;12. initiate and support measures to enhance the joint perceptionand understanding of THB among all actors in the region,thereby advocating a closer cooperation and coordinationamong them, and furthermore expand exchange and coopera-tion with international organizations active in the fight againsttrafficking in human beings, such as UN, IPU, OSCE, Council ofEurope, ILO, IOM and others;13. present continuous evaluation and reporting of the progressand results in the fight against trafficking in human beings,based on jointly developed and agreed success criteria on fac-tors such as e g the number of convictions, safe returns of vic-tims, and the like; they should also monitor that programmesand strategies are continuously updated and adapted to newand changing forms of trafficking in human beings;14. promote the development of favourable working conditions forthose active in the fight against trafficking in human beings, forthe purpose of reducing the drainage of experienced person-nel and enabling continuity of work and accumulation of com-petencies;15. promote actions to strengthen the capacity to identify andincriminate the middlemen in trafficking in human beings,meaning persons indirectly profiting from trafficking in humanbeings by e g facilitating contacts between potential buyersand traffickers and/or trafficked persons, e g in the taxi, hotelor ferry industries.10Furthermore, the Working Group urges the member parliamentsof the BSPC to- establish networks of parliamentarians on the fight against traf-ficking in human beings, in order to secure continuity of commit-ment and visibility of the issue, to continuously monitor progressof various activities in the fight against trafficking in human beings,and to develop the relations between the executive and legislativepowers concerning the fight against trafficking in human beings; inthis endeavour, the networks should make use of handbooks andguidelines produced by e g UN, IPU, PACE, ILO, and others.113. Setting the sceneArticle from Balticness – autumn 2010Are you supporting human trafficking?Human trafficking is often associated with women who, throughcoercion or promises of work, are sold across national borders andforced to prostitute themselves. This is not a distorted picture, butthe victims of human trafficking – or slavery as it should perhapsmore tellingly be called – not only find themselves in unsavourysurroundings that are far removed from the lives of ordinary peo-ple. They also include women, men and children who function asslaves in our private homes – as cleaning ladies, labourers and gar-deners. They are exploited in the restaurants where we eat and thehotels where we sleep. They are sold as factory workers and agri-cultural labourers, as beggars and illegal adoptees or as organdonors.12People can be sold again and againThere is a simple reason for this. On the one hand there is ademand for cheap labour and sexual services, and on the otherhand there are people with poor living conditions and no or littlehope for the future. This market is exploited by criminals who lureor coerce their victims into slavery. They take advantage of peoplewho have little or no opportunities to provide for themselves andtheir family. This is something that goes on not only in poor,remote countries. It happens also here within our own region. Peo-ple are sold on an equal footing with drugs and weapons butunlike drug and weapon, where profit can only be made once, vic-tims of trafficking can be sold again and again. And this is the brutalperspective that makes human trafficking such an extremely lucra-tive business with a very high profit margin. At the same time,there is little risk of the people responsible being caught and pun-ished, which is why human trafficking is one of the most rapidly-growing types of criminality, not only in the Baltic region andEurope, but also in a global context.A local and an international problemInternational organisations have released estimates which indicatethat there are approximately 2.5 million people who are victims ofhuman trafficking worldwide. But it is difficult to provide a precisepicture of the extent of human trafficking. This is partly because itis a question of organised criminality which, in the nature of thecase, is covert, and partly because there is no systematic and com-parable collection of data.Just as the victims of human trafficking not only end up farremoved from ordinary people’s everyday lives, trafficking is notonly something that involves crossing borders where people areexported. People are also sold within the borders of our countries.The problem is thus local and international and must therefore beplaced high on the political agenda at both levels. It is not enoughto leave the problem to international organisations. Human traffick-ing is very much a local problem. We must fight the factors thatmake people vulnerable and we have to make sure that victimsfind the necessary support to regain control over their lives. We allhave to help fighting it by making sure that we are not contribut-ing to the exploitation in one way or the other. We must demandthat we are not serviced by victims of trafficking in hotels and res-taurants, and we must make sure that the food we are buying is notproduced by victims. In other words, we all need to be better atidentifying the victims of trafficking and act accordingly.13Agreement across borders and partiesHuman trafficking was a focal point at the 2009 annual Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference. The working group that was set up atthe conference has since drawn up a list of political recommenda-tions designed to support the fight against human trafficking. Thegrave nature of the subject has made it possible for the workinggroup to reach agreement on these recommendations across coun-tries, regions and political parties. When the Baltic Sea Parliamen-tary Conference meets in the Aland Islands from 29–31 August it isexpected to result in a resolution with recommendationsaddressed to the governments of the Baltic Sea States and the EUMember States. The working group has forwarded six recommen-dations in connection with this potential resolution.• All countries are called on to subscribe to all relevant interna-tional conventions, treaties and decisions and adapt theirnational legislation in order to criminalise all aspects of humantrafficking.• The countries must recognise that human trafficking is interna-tional criminality that requires international cooperation tocombat. At the same time victims are exploited locally so itmust also be combated locally.• Countries must earmark adequate, permanent, goal-orientedfunds and resources for the public authorities, NGOs, interna-tional organisations and projects such as the Baltic Sea TaskForce against Trafficking in Human Beings.• Countries must strive to develop and coordinate data collec-tion on human trafficking in order to heighten understandingof the problem, to develop appropriate measures againsthuman trafficking, support research and legal proceedings andprovide victims of human trafficking with the best possiblesupport.• Countries must strive to ensure that the focus is always on vic-tims. Human trafficking is exploitation irrespective of where itis practiced and which form it takes. Human rights must consti-tute the core of these measures.• Countries must strive at operational level to develop efficientmethods and models to ensure that the relevant national play-ers and NGOs help victims and their relations and to increasethe number of convictions of the criminals and exploitersbehind human trafficking.Human trafficking is an issue that concerns us all, irrespective ofwhere we come from and which political beliefs we have. We have14a duty to act as private individuals and at political level. We mustdemand that the exploitation of women, men and children whohave been sold into slavery is not part of our daily lives. We haveshown in the working group that it really is possible to set outcommon goals across the political spectrum. It is now up to thegovernments of the Baltic Sea States and EU Member States to com-mit themselves to the attainment of these common goals.154. BackgroundThe 18th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), assem-bling in Nyborg, Denmark, 31 august – 1 September 2009, askedthe Standing Committee of the BSPC to establish a WorkingGroup on Civil Security, especially Trafficking in Human Beingsto submit a report to the 20th BSPC. The Working Group got thefollowing mandate:In accordance with the objectives of the BSPC Work Programme2009–2010 the Working Group shall elaborate political posi-tions and recommendations on civil security issues; Guidelinesand practical political proposals to this end should be elabo-rated by the Working Group. The Working Group shall have Traf-ficking in Human Beings as its main focus, but could alsoaddress other civil security issues.Furthermore, the Working Group should exchange experienceon successful efforts of the countries. The Working Group andits members should raise political focus on civil security issues– especially on Trafficking in Human Beings – on the nationalagendas of members of the Working Group.The Working Group should pursue to draft political recommen-dations for the resolution to be adopted by the 20th BSPC. Amiddle report of the Working Group shall be presented at the19th BSPC, to be held on 29–31 August 2010 in Mariehamn,Aland.175. Working Group’s activitiesOwn activitiesThe Working Group has held seven meetings with specific focusesfor each meeting. The meetings were conducted as shown below:Date, venue Activity3 February 2010 First meeting of the Working GroupCopenhagen, Denmark Constitution, discussion on priorities and workingplan8 April 2010 Second meeting of the Working GroupStockholm, Sweden Focus: National and Regional Perspectives on Traf-ficking in Human Beings10 June 2010 Third meeting of the Working GroupOslo, Norway Focus: The Economic Aspects of Trafficking29–31 August 2010 Presentation of the Working Group’s MidtermMariehamn, Åland Report to the 19th BSPC25 October 2010 Forth meeting of the Working GroupHamburg, Germany Focus: The Victims18 January 2011 Fifth meeting of the Working GroupHelsinki, Finland Focus: Children4 March 2011 Sixth meeting of the Working GroupRiga, Latvia Focus: Police, Prosecution and Court of Law16 June 2011 Seventh meeting of the Working GroupVilnius, Lithuania Focus: Awareness on Trafficking in Human Beings28–30 august 2011 Presentation of the Working Group’s Final ReportHelsinki, Finland to the 20th BSPCExperts were invited to address the Working Group at each meet-ing. The experts’ presentations can be retrieved from www.bspc.net/page/show/216Related activitiesMs Line Barfod and Ms Maria Stenberg attended the IPU seminaron trafficking in human beings 22–23 February 2010 in London.Ms Gabi Dobusch and Dr Armin Jäger attended a conference onforced labour in the autumn 2010 in Berlin.Members of the Working Group attended a conference on traffick-ing in human beings in work life 3–4 February 2011 in Helsinki.18Ms Line Barfod met with members of the Council of Europe Groupof Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)in spring 2011.Mr André Oktay Dahl attended the DEFLECT Project Expert Con-ference on Forced Labour and Counter Trafficking in the Baltic SeaRegion 7–8 June 2011 in Oslo.Inquiries and answersThe Working Group has asked a number of questions to govern-ments and others. Answers and reports can be retrieved fromwww.bspc.net/page/show/216216. Members of the WorkingGroupMs Line Barfod, MP, Parliament of Denmark, Chairman of the Work-ing GroupMr André Oktay Dahl, MP, Parliament of Norway, Vice Chairman ofthe Working GroupMr Johan Linander, MP, Parliament of Sweden, Vice Chairman of theWorking GroupMs Silva Bendr ̄ate, MP, Parliament of LatviaMs Tatjana Muravjova, MP, Parliament of EstoniaMr Gediminas Navaitis, MP, Parliament of LithuaniaMs Leena Harkimo, MP, Parliament of FinlandMs Sonja Steffen, MP, Parliament of the Federal Republic of Ger-manyMs Gabriele Dobusch, MP, Parliament of Free and Hanseatic City ofHamburgMr Vladimir Nikitin, MP, Parliament of Kaliningrad RegionDr Armin Jäger, MP, Parliament of Mecklenburg-VorpommernMs Maria Stenberg, MP, Nordic CouncilMs Sonja Mandt, MP, Nordic CouncilMs Luise Amtsberg, MP, Parliament of Schleswig-HolsteinMs Gun-Mari Lindholm, MP, Parliament of ÅlandThe International Secretariat of the Danish Parliament has beensecretariat for the Working Group. From October 2009 till October2010 the secretary was Ms Kamilla Kjelgaard, and from October2010 till August 2011 Ms Mette Vestergaard acted as secretary tothe Working Group.22Annexes23Annex 1Mandate of the BSPC Working Group onTrafficing in Human Beings11 February 2010ConstitutionThe Working Group is constituted as an ad-hoc working groupunder the auspices of the Standing Committee of the Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference in accordance with the BSPC Rules ofProcedure.At its first meeting the Working Group nominates the chairman-ship, consisting of a Chairperson and 1–2 Vice Chairpersons. Fur-ther, one or more rapporteurs for specific issues or informationcollection could be nominated among the participants as agreedupon.The Working Group, at its first meeting, adopts the mandate andan activity plan/time schedule (tentative). The Working Group fur-thermore discusses the mode of operation for the work.Decisions of the Working Group shall be made by unanimity.The working language will be English for documents as well asnegotiations. Russian translation will be provided on a need basis.Translation of background material and other documents for theWorking Group meetings to any other language than English willonly be done on request. The costs in such case shall be borne bythe requesting member parliament.Members and staff of the Working Group are expected to covertheir own travel and accommodation costs and other expenses inconnection to activities in the group. Meeting costs and relatedexpenditures will be covered by the BSPC joint budget. Basic sec-retariat resources will be provided by the chairmanship in cooper-ation with the BSPC secretariat in Copenhagen.MandateIn accordance with the objectives of the BSPC Work Programme2009–2010 the Working Group shall elaborate political positionsand recommendations on civil security issues; Guidelines and prac-tical political proposals to this end should be elaborated by theWorking Group. The Working Group shall have Trafficking inHuman Beings as its main focus, but could also address other civilsecurity issues.Furthermore, the Working Group should exchange experienceon successful efforts of the countries. The Working Group and itsmembers should raise political focus on civil security issues – espe-24cially on Trafficking in Human Beings – on the national agendas ofmembers of the Working Group.The Working Group should draft political recommendations forthe resolution to be adopted by the 20th BSPC. A mid-way reportof the Working Group shall be presented at the 19th BSPC, to beheld on 29–31 August 2010 in Mariehamn, Åland.ParticipantsAll participating parliaments of BSPC shall be invited to take partin the work.Also the Nordic Council, the Baltic Assembly, the European Par-liament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe andthe Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security andCo-operation in Europe (OSCE) shall be invited.Representatives of other national parliaments and relevantinternational organizations might be involved by unanimous deci-sion of the Working Group members.Each institution is invited to participate with one member andone substitute accompanied by one advisor and/or one interpreterif needed.Each participating parliament/parliamentary body should coverits own expenses. Six or seven meetings are anticipated – one ofwhich might be conducted together with a conference or seminar.SecretariatSecretarial assistance to the Working Group arrangements andmeetings will be provided by the Chairperson of the WorkingGroup and the BSPC Secretariat. The Baltic Assembly and the Nor-dic Council have kindly offered to make advisory expertise availa-ble to the Secretariat.Secretarial assistance to members of the Working Group shallbe provided by the home parliaments. Additional secretarial assis-tance to the Chair, Vice-Chair(s) and possible rapporteurs shall beprovided by the home parliament of the nominees.As to the practical preparation of the meetings (booking ofmeeting facilities and meals, suggestions for accommodation, nec-essary transportation, help in finding relevant local guest speakersetc.) the secretariats of the hosting parliament/parliamentaryorganisation will assist.25Annex 2Selected Basic Texts and Activities by Interna-tional Organizations Concerning the FightAgainst Trafficking in Human Beings (THB)9.3.2010/Update 6.7.20110. IntroductionThis memo contains a cursory overview over the main actors andactivities within the field of fight against trafficking in humanbeings (THB). The texts are mainly based on excerpts from theorganization ́s homepages. The list is by no means exhaustive; theorganizations mentioned here usually run more activities than theones exemplified. Moreover, there are several other organizationsand actors engaged in the fight against THB than the ones men-tioned here. Adding to that, programmes and measures against THBundertaken by individual states are not included in this compila-tion.It is clear even from this short overview that• There is a wide array of initiatives and means to perpetuate thefight against THB, which in turn is testimony of a deep andwide engagement;• There seems to exist a fairly well developed practice of con-tacts and excgange between actors;• Shortcomings and setbacks in the fight against THB are persis-tent, e g regarding resource allocation and prosecution;• There is a continuous need to exert political pressure on gov-ernments and other responsible actors to sustain and step upthe fight against THB.For the BSPC WG Civil Security/Trafficking, it is a primary task tofind out firstly, the specific comparative advantages and the addedvalue that parliamentarians can bring to the fight against THB, andsecondly, to find out in which specific issues or areas a parliamen-tary pressure is most likely to yield significant results in the fightagainst THB.1. The United NationsThe United Nations has launched numerous initiatives and actionsagainst THB. The United Nations Convention against Transna-tional Organized Crime, adopted by General Assembly resolution55/25 of 15 November 2000, is the main international instrumentin the fight against transnational organized crime. It was opened26for signature by Member States at a High-level Political Conferenceconvened for that purpose in Palermo, Italy, on 12–15 December2000 and entered into force on 29 September 2003. The Conven-tion is further supplemented by three Protocols, which target spe-cific areas and manifestations of organized crime, among them theProtocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,Especially Women and Children (for texts, see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/index.html).The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Per-sons, especially Women and Children (“Palermo Protocol”), wasadopted by General Assembly resolution 55/25. It entered intoforce on 25 December 2003. It is the first global legally bindinginstrument with an agreed definition on trafficking in persons. Theintention behind this definition is to facilitate convergence innational approaches with regard to the establishment of domesticcriminal offences that would support efficient international coop-eration in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in personscases. An additional objective of the Protocol is to protect andassist the victims of trafficking in persons with full respect for theirhuman rights. To date, over 117 countries have signed the PalermoProtocol.Pursuant to article 32 of the United Nations Convention againstTransnational Organized Crime, a Conference of the Parties to theConvention was established to improve the capacity of StatesParties to combat transnational organized crime and to promoteand review the implementation of this Convention (see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/CTOC-COP.html). Itsfirst meeting was held in 2004.The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hasthe primary responsibility for initiating and implementing UNactivities within the field of THB. A description of its mandate andtasks, as well as definitions and analyses of trafficking etc, can befound on its website (http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html?ref=menuside).In March 2007, UNODC launched the United Nations GlobalInitiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT). Its purpose is topromote the global fight on human trafficking, on the basis ofinternational agreements reached at the UN. (see: http://www.ungift.org/ungift/en/about/index.html).On 6 March 2009, UNODC launched the Blue Heart Campaignagainst Human Trafficking. The aim of the Campaign is tomobilize support and to inspire people to act against human27trafficking. The Blue Heart Campaign, largely channeled throughsocial media, raises awareness of the problem and inspires thosewith decision-making power to effect change. (see: http://www.unodc.org/blueheart/index.html).The Conference of Parties has established a number of WorkingGroups (see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/working-groups.html). At its fourth session, in 2008, theConference of the Parties decided to establish a Working Groupon Trafficking in Persons to advise and assist the Conference inthe implementation of its mandate with regard to the PalermoProtocol (see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/working-group-on-trafficking-in-persons-protocol.html). Thesecond and latest meeting of the WG was held 27–29 January 2010.In April 2009, UNODC, in cooperation with IPU and in theframework of UN.GIFT, published “Combating Trafficking inPersons. A Handbook for Parliamentarians” (see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/ipu-and-united-nations-join-forces-to-combat-trafficking-in-persons.html).On 9 October 2009, UN launched the International Frameworkfor Action to Implement the Trafficking in Persons Protocol. TheFramework is a technical assistance tool that supports UnitedNations Member States in the effective implementation of thePalermo Protocol, supplementing the United Nations Conventionagainst Transnational Organized Crime (text: http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Framework_for_Action_TIP.pdf).1.1 UN OHCHR, UNHCRThe Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR), a department of the United Nations Secretariat, ismandated to promote and protect the enjoyment and fullrealization, by all people, of all rights established in the Charter ofthe United Nations and in international human rights laws andtreaties (see: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx).In 2002, OHCHR published a handbook titled RecommendedPrinciples and Guidelines on Human Rights and HumanTrafficking (see: http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?page=category&docid=3f1fc60f4).The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and co-ordinateinternational action to protect refugees and resolve refugeeproblems worldwide (see: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c2.html). Its primary purpose is to safeguard28the rights and well-being of refugees. UNCHR is active withinthe field of THB (for a current position paper from 2009, see:http://www.unhcr.org/4ae1a1099.html).1.2 UNICEFThe United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) is very active in thefight against Trafficking in Human Beings, especially children. It is, eg, operating a number of anti-trafficking projects in Eastern andSouth-Eastern Europe.According to UNICEF, adopting and enforcing strong lawsprotecting children, overseeing government activity, allocatingfinancial resources, raising awareness and providing advocacy arewhat parliamentarians can do to help alleviate children’s suffering.In order to facilitate the activities in this field by parliamentarians,UNICEF together with IPU published in 2004 a Handbook forParliamentarians on Child Protection (http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_21134.html). In 2005, it was followed by aHandbook for Parliamentarians on Combating ChildTrafficking (http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_33882.html).Together with ILO and and the Global Initiative to Fight HumanTrafficking (UN.GIFT). UNICEF launched a “Training manual tofight trafficking in children for labour, sexual and otherforms of exploitation” on 15 September 2009 (http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_exploitation.html). It is one of fewmanuals on trafficking that specifically focuses on children,includes a focus on labour issues, and is geared towards training. Itis comprised of textbooks for self study and an exercise book witha menu of assignment options that trainers can choose from fortailor-made training courses. It also includes a facilitators’ guide foruse by those facilitating training.1.3 ILOIn November 2001, following the publication of the first GlobalReport on forced labour, the ILO Governing Body created a Spe-cial Action Programme to combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL),as part of broader efforts to promote the 1998 Declaration on Fun-damental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up (see:http://www.ilo.org/sapfl/AboutSAPFL/lang--en/index.htm).Since its inception, SAP-FL has been concerned to raise globalawareness of forced labour in its different forms, as a necessaryprerequisite for effective action against it. Several thematic andcountry-specific studies and surveys have since been undertaken,on such diverse aspects of forced labour as bonded labour, human29trafficking, forced domestic work, rural servitude, and forcedprison labour. SAP-FL has also assisted governments in developingand implementing new laws, policies and action plans; developedand disseminated guidance and training materials on key aspectsof forced labour and trafficking; and implemented innovative pro-grammes which combine policy development, capacity buildingand direct support for both prevention of forced labour and identi-fication and rehabilitation of its victims. Together with the Euro-pean Commission, ILO has developed harmonized definitions andassociated indicators on trafficking. A first list of indicators waspublished in March 2009 (for the list, see: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/pub-lication/wcms_105023.pdf).2. Council of Europe and PACEOn 3 May 2005, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Councilof Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking inHuman Beings (CETS No. 197) (full text: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Source/PDF_Conv_197_Trafficking_E.pdf). The Convention was opened for signature in Warsaw on 16May 2005 on the occasion of the 3rd Summit of Heads of State andGovernment of the Council of Europe. On 24 October 2007, theConvention received its tenth ratification thereby triggering theprocess whereby it entered into force on 1 February 2008.While other international instruments already exist in this field, theCouncil of Europe Convention, the first European treaty in thisfield, is a comprehensive treaty focussing mainly on the protectionof victims of trafficking and the safeguard of their rights. It alsoaims to prevent trafficking and to prosecute traffickers. In addition,the Convention provides for the setting up of an effective andindependent monitoring mechanism capable of controlling theimplementation of the obligations contained in the Convention.The Convention is not restricted to Council of Europe memberstates; non-members states and the European Community also havethe possibility of becoming Party to the Convention.The Convention is based on recognition of the principle, alreadystated in Recommendation No R(2000)11 of the Committee ofMinisters on action against trafficking in human beings for the pur-pose of sexual exploitation, that trafficking in human beings consti-tutes a violation of human rights and an offence to the dignity andintegrity of the human being.The Council of Europe Convention is a comprehensive treatywhich aims to (3 Ps):30• Prevent trafficking• Protect the Human Rights of victims of trafficking• Prosecute the traffickers.The Convention applies to:• all forms of trafficking: whether national or transnational,whether or not related to organised crime• whoever the victim: women, men or children• whatever the form of exploitation: sexual exploitation, forcedlabour or services, etc.The entry into force of the Convention on 1 February 2008triggered the setting-up of its monitoring mechanism which is nowfully operational (the CoE Trafficking homepage is here: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/default_en.asp). Themonitoring mechanism consists of two pillars: the first is GRETA, agroup of independent experts on action against trafficking inhuman beings. GRETA will monitor implementation of theConvention. To this end, GRETA will regularly draw up reportsevaluating the measures taken by the Parties. GRETA held its fourthand latest meeting in December 2009 (see: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Docs/Monitoring/GRETA_en.asp#TopOfPage). The second pillar is the Committee of theParties, which is composed of the representatives in theCommittee of Ministers of the Parties to the Convention and ofrepresentatives of Parties non-members of the Council of Europe(see: http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/trafficking/Docs/Monitoring/COP_en.asp#TopOfPage) .The Convention has been ratified by Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bel-gium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark,France, Georgia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro,Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slove-nia, Spain, ”the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and theUnited KingdomIt has also been signed but not yet ratified by another 15 Councilof Europe member states: Andorra, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hun-gary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, San Marino, Swe-den, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.The Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE (PACE) has adoptedseveral resolutions and recommendations in the field of THB, forinstance Recommendation 1695 (2005) on ”Draft Council ofEurope convention on action against trafficking in human beings”31(full text: http://assembly.coe.int//Main.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta05/EREC1695.htm).In Resolution 1702 adopted 26 January 2010, the Assembly calledon Council of Europe member states which had not yet done so tosign and/or ratify the Council of Europe Convention on actionagainst trafficking in human beings, and encouraged the EuropeanUnion to accede to it (text: http://assembly.coe.int//Main.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/Mainf.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta10/eRES1702.htm). It also spoke out in favour ofintensified co-operation with other international organisations, tak-ing special care to avoid all risk of duplication between the differ-ent monitoring mechanisms. The parliamentarians also asked thatthe GRETA should be able to command the financial and humanresources needed for its activity. Finally, PACE proposed to organizea conference in 2010 on action against trafficking, involving allpartnersPACE has appointed a Rapporteur on ”Action against trafficking:parliamentarians’ involvement in promoting the widest possibleratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Action againstTrafficking in Human Beings”.Moreover, PACE has published a 111-page Handbook for Parlia-mentarians (updated 2009) which sets out ways parliamentarianscan press for the ratification and the application of the new Coun-cil of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings byintroducing legislation, allocating funding and lobbying their gov-ernments (see: http://assembly.coe.int/committeedocs/2007/Trafficking-human-beings_E.pdf). The handbook is intended as apractical tool for parliamentarians. It is designed to suggest work-ing approaches for elected representatives who want to combatthis scourge and promote the convention.3. OSCE and OSCE PAThe OSCE plays an active role in the fight against Trafficking inHuman beings (THB). All participating States have agreed onnumerous political commitments that confirm their primaryresponsibility for addressing THB.Maastricht Ministerial Council Decision No. 2, CombatingTrafficking in Human Beings (2003) (see: http://www.osce.org/documents/mcs/2003/12/4161_en.pdf), endorsed the OSCEAction Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2003) –the key document which provides a framework for the anti-32trafficking efforts of the entire organization. This Action Plancontains far-reaching recommendations for the participating Stateson the best ways and means to implement the various anti-trafficking commitments (see: http://www.osce.org/documents/pc/2003/07/724_en.pdf). A special addendum to the Action Planconcerning the special needs of child victims was made in 2005(see: http://www.osce.org/documents/pc/2005/07/15591_en.pdf).OSCE has a number of institutions active in the fight against traf-ficking:• Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Com-bating Trafficking in Human Beings;• Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR);• Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmen-tal Activities;• Secretariat – Action against Terrorism Unit;• Secretariat – Conflict Prevention Centre;• Secretariat – Strategic Police Matters Unit.The Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator forCombating Trafficking in Human Beings (SR) assists partici-pating States in their anti-trafficking effort by providing support atfour levels: policy-making, field work, technical expertise and co-ordination of international actors. The Office has produces numer-ous reports, handbooks, analyses and other documents, all availablethrough its homepage (http://www.osce.org/cthb/). A fundamen-tal exhortation of the SR is that all OSCE States should establishNational Co-Ordination Mechanisms, National Action Plans and aNational Rapporteur on THB (see the SR ́s latest report: http://www.osce.org/cthb/item_11_41953.html).The first SR initiated a close partnership with relevant interna-tional actors under the heading of the Alliance Against Traffick-ing in Persons, which meets twice a year. The Office of the SR isresponsible for coordinating the activities of the Alliance, as well asthe Alliance Expert Co-ordination Team (AECT), which is aconsultative forum involving leading agencies and experts in thefield of combating human trafficking. It aims to develop strategicnetworking and partnerships among active players, facilitatingexchanges of experience, best practices and lessons learned, aswell as joint actions across the OSCE region (see: http://www.osce.org/cthb/13413.html).The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly repeatedly addresses theissue of THB, e g in the resolution from its latest Annual Session33in Vilnius 2009 (see: http://www.oscepa.org/images/stories/documents/activities/1.Annual%20Session/2009_Vilnius/Final_Vilnius_Declaration_ENG.pdf e g paras 82, 83, 89).4. European Union and European ParliamentSince 1997 the European Commission has been actively engagedin EU activities developing a comprehensive and multidisciplinaryapproach towards the prevention and the fight against traffickingin human beings. The main responsibility for dealing with THBissues lies with the Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom andSecurity of the European Commission.The Council Framework Decision of 19 July 2002 oncombating trafficking in human beings (2002/629/JHA – OJ2002/L 203/1, 1.8.2002) provides for measures aimed at ensuringapproximation of national penal legislation concerning thedefinition of offences, penalties, jurisdiction and prosecution,protection and assistance to victims (text: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:203:0001:0004:EN:PDF). This decision has been superseded by a new directive from21 March 2011 (see below).An Expert Group on Trafficking in Human Beings was set upin 2003. The group regularly submits reports and opinions. TheGroup adopts a human rights-centered approach to the preventionand fight against trafficking in human beings and elaboratesindications for the development of effective action in all the areasof anti-trafficking policy (decision, see: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:277:0029:0032:EN:PDF).The Council Directive 2004/81/EC of 29 April 2004 on theresidence permit issued to third-country nationals who arevictims of trafficking in human beings or who have beenthe subject of an action to facilitate illegal immigration, whocooperate with the competent authorities (OJ 2004/L 261,6.8.2004) establishes an obligation for Member States to providefor reflection period and residence status, with related assistanceand support measures, to victims of trafficking in human beings(text: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:261:0019:0023:EN:PDF).The Council EU plan on best practices, standards andprocedures for combating and preventing trafficking inhuman beings (“EU Action Plan”) from 2005 (OJ 2005/C 311/1,9.12.2005, COM(2006)437) provides for actions to beimplemented by Member States, the Commission and other EU34bodies concerning coordination of EU action, scoping the problem,prevention, reducing the demand, investigating and prosecuting,protecting and supporting victims of trafficking, returns andreintegration (text: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2005:311:0001:0012:EN:PDF). See also anevaluation of the implementation of the Action Plan (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0657:FIN:EN:PDF).In 2007, an expert sub-group on trafficking in human beingsdecided to develop harmonized definitions and associatedindicators that will facilitate greater compatibility of data across EUmember states on the crime area under consideration. A jointEuropean Commission-ILO project was established to reachconsensus on operational indicators of trafficking. A first list waspublished in March 2009 (for the list, see: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_105023.pdf).In 2007, the EU Anti-Trafficking Day was established on 18October every year, following a recommendation of the EuropeanParliament (for 2009, see: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAc-tion.do?reference=IP/08/1544&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en).Financial programmes are an important tool to develop orstrengthen policies in the fight against human trafficking. The newfinancial programme covering trafficking in human beings is ’Pre-vention of and Fight against Crime’, which runs over the period2007–2013, and covers different areas including trafficking inhuman beings, which has been a priority for 2007 and 2008.The European Parliament is a driver in issues concerning thefight against THB. The latest Resolution from EP on preventingtrafficking in human beings was adopted 10 February 2010(see: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDocdo?type=TA&reference=P7-TA-2010-0018&format=XML&language=EN).A new EU Directive (2011/36/EU) on Prevention andCombating Trafficking in Human Beings and Protecting itsVictims was adopted on 21 March 2011 (replacing the decisionfrom 2002). The adoption follows a Commission Directive proposalfrom 2010, with binding legislation to prevent trafficking, toeffectively prosecute criminals, and to better protect the victims, inline with the highest European standards. The new Directive takes35a victim centred approach, including a gender perspective, tocover actions in different areas such as criminal law provisions,prosecution of offenders, victims’ support and victims’ rights incriminal proceedings, prevention and monitoring of theimplementation (see: http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/download.action?nodeId=9c9ba3cd-794b-4a57-b534-ad89effac575&fileName=Directive+THB+L+101+15+april+2011.pdf&fileType=pdf ).5. Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)Civil Security is one of the five long-term priorities of the CBSS. Itincludes a very developed and practical expert cooperation in thefield of fighting against trafficking in human beings, and a special-ized network focusing on safety and well-being of children at risk,in particular. Unlike pure law enforcement structures, these twostructures focus more on the social dimension of the problems,that is, more on the victims than the criminals (see: http://www.cbss.org/Civil-Security-and-the-Human-Dimension/creating-a-safe-and-secure-region).The overall objective of the CBSS Task Force againstTrafficking in Human Beings (TF-THB) is to counteracttrafficking in human beings in the Baltic Sea Region throughpreventive and protective activities (see: http://www.cbss.org/Civil-Security-and-the-Human-Dimension/the-task-force-against-trafficking-in-human-beings-with-focus-on-adults). The mandate ofthe TF-THB is to fight against trafficking in human beings and all ofits forms of exploitation. Its actions aim at strengthening assistanceto victims, promoting cooperation, abolishing gaps in existingapproaches and improving legislation. The Task Force is composedof experts from relevant Government ministries in all the CBSScapitals. The Chair of the TF-THB rotates among the Member Stateson an annual basis following the CBSS Presidency (from July 1 toJune 30). The current mandate of the Task Force runs until 30thJune 2011 (for objectives etc, see the link above). The Task Forcefocuses on people over the age of 18 and is therebycomplementing the work of the Expert Group for Cooperation onChildren at Risk (EGCC).The TF-THB is the only regional intergovernmental forum inEurope of its kind dealing with trafficking in human beings. The TF-THB brings together EU and non-EU Member States, which are alldifferently affected by trafficking in human beings and constantlyexchange experiences with international and nongovernmentalorganizations.36For 2008–2010 the TF-THB has agreed on the following Strategyfor the CBSS Region:• Trainings on Human Trafficking for Diplomatic and ConsularPersonnel in the CBSS Region in cooperation with the Interna-tional Organization for Migration (IOM)• Joint Project with the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC) on Fostering NGOLaw Enforcement Coopera-tion in Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in, fromand to the Baltic Sea Region• Regional Information Campaign against Trafficking in HumanBeings• Improved Data Collection and Support to Research on HumanTrafficking in the Region• Comparative Regional Legal Analysis on Human TraffickingA Joint Project is operated between the Task Force against Traf-ficking in Human Beings (TF-THB) and the United Nations Officeon Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Fostering NGO-Law Enforce-ment Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Human Traffickingin, from and to the Baltic Sea Region. The project aims at strength-ening cooperation between different governmental institutionsand nongovernmental actors within and between the CBSS Mem-ber States. Only with improved cooperation victims can be ade-quately assisted and protected. By collecting and analysing datathrough country assessment missions, the project will developassessment reports for each Member State of the CBSS on the exist-ing cooperation mechanisms between state actors, in particularlaw enforcement, and NGOs. A Joint CBSS TF-THB/UNODC Con-ference was held 7–8 December 2009, Stockholm. The Confer-ence presented the findings of the regional assessment of the jointproject with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) on fostering NGO and Law Enforcement Cooperation inPreventing and Combating Human Trafficking in, from and to theBaltic Sea Region.TF-THB and UNODC has jointly published a report entitledHuman Trafficking in the Baltic Sea Region: State and CivilSociety Cooperation on Victims ́ Assistance and Protection.This in turn has resulted in a project on a Model Memorandumof Understanding between Law enforcement Agencies andSpecialist Service Providers. Another outcome of the TF-THB –UNODC project is the project Data and Education on ForcedLabour Exploitation and Counter Trafficking (DEFLECT),which held its kick-off meeting 7–8 June 2011. on 18 October2010, TF-THB launched the Safe Trip information and awarenessraising campaign. In 2011, TF-THB also published a study called37Hard Data: Data Collection Mechanisms on Human Traffick-ing in the Baltic Sea Region. Building on the experiences fromthe training programme for diplomatic and consular personnelconducted by TF-THB between 2008–2010, a Handbook for Dip-lomatic and Consular Personnel on how to Assist and Pro-tect Victims of Human Trafficking was published in spring2011.The CBSS Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk(EGCC) is a group of senior officials from the ministriesresponsible for children’s issues in the member countries to theCBSS and the European Commission (homepage: http://www.childcentre.info/). The EGCC identifies, supports and implementscooperation on children at risk between countries andorganizations in the region. It also examines and reviews areas ofconcern with regard to children, as identified by its network ofNational Coordinators and experts. Based on these findings theEGCC adopts programmes and implements actions within areas ofconcern. Activities and programmes are carried out together withnational authorities, agencies and organizations in cooperationwith regional and international organizations.The Prioritized areas for the period until July 2011 for the EGCCare:• The protection of children from all forms of sexual exploitation• Unaccompanied and trafficked children• Children abused by being offered money or other forms ofremuneration in exchange for sex• Children and online sexual exploitation• The protection of children from all forms of sexual abuse andsexual violence• The rights of children in institutions and in other forms of outof home care6. Nordic Council and Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers work withRussia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to fight against trafficking andhelp the victims out of their difficult situation. This trade must befought through international co-operation. Trafficking in women isno longer the only form of human trafficking in the region. Experi-ence from other parts of Europe indicates that trade in humanbeings who are being exploited in agriculture, construction andhousework, such as, for example, au pair jobs, is becoming morewidespread. People are also being exploited for the sale of organsand forced labour, and children are traded for begging and sexualexploitation.38To be able to stop this development there is a need for sharedknowledge and understanding of the new forms of organized crim-inal exploitation of labour. This requires regional and internationalco-operation between the authorities and NGOs. The Nordic gen-der equality, social, health and justice ministers have taken a largenumber of initiatives to co-operate in the Nordic countries to stophuman trafficking.Nordic Council has repeatedly addressed the issue of trafficking.Within the Nordic Council, it is the Citizens’ and Consumer RightsCommittee that deals with issues concerning the rights of citizensand consumers, as well as associated overall matters concerningdemocracy, human rights, gender equality, trafficking etc. NordicCouncil has submitted a number of recommendations to theNordic governments concerning trafficking:• Fight against trafficking in human being (Rec. 25/2005);• Report on the fight against trafficking in human beings (Rec.26/2005);• Campaign against selling sex (Rec. 18/2006);• Safe house for victims of trafficking in human beings (Rec.19/2006);• Prevention of trafficking in human beings for sexual exploita-tion (Rec. 20/2006);• Prevention of trafficking in human beings (Rec. 15/2007);• Member ́s proposal on asylum children (Rec. 21/2008);• Member ́s proposal on human trafficking for forced abor (Rec.22/2008).Together with the Baltic Assembly and the BeneluxInterparliamentary Consultative Council, the Nordic Councilorganized a trilateral conference on “Fight against Traffickingin Human Beings” in Latvia, Riga on 24–25 April 2008 (see:http://www.baltasam.org/?DocID=724).The Nordic Council of Ministers has started up several concreteprojects. Emphasis is placed particularly on the social aspects ofhuman trafficking and gender equality. In 2001 the Council ofMinisters took the initiative for a Nordic-Baltic CampaignAgainst Trafficking in Women to create public debate in theNordic and Baltic countries (final report: http://www.norden.org/en/publications/publications/2004-715). In 2005, the Nordic-Baltic Taskforce Against Trafficking launched a 3-year pilotproject, which aimed at developing victim-centred and durablemodels for support and reintegration of women victims oftrafficking for sexual exploitation in and between the Nordic and39Baltic countries (website: http://nordicbaltic-assistwomen.net/). Aninternational conference was organized in St. Petersburg inApril 2008 with focus on preventative work in Northwest Russia,the Baltic countries and the Nordic countries (see: http://www.norden.ru/News.aspx?id=159&lang=en).The Nordic and Baltic ministers for gender equality decided in May2008 to draw up a joint Nordic Baltic Strategy to Fight Traf-ficking with the focus on sexual exploitation. The Nordic Gen-der Institute (NIKK) (website: http://www.nikk.uio.no/English/)concluded a research project entitled “Prostitution in the Nordiccountries” with a conference in October 2008. It focused on prosti-tution and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, including menand women’s attitudes to paying for sexual favours.7. Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)The Inter-Parliamentary Union, in cooperation with the UnitedNations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Austrian Par-liament, organized a one-day Parliamentary Forum on 12 Feb-ruary 2008 as a prelude to the main event, the Vienna Forum.The Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking – a globalevent – took place from 13 to 15 February 2008 under theframework of the United Nations-sponsored Global Initiative toFight Human Trafficking (conference report: http://www.ipu.org/splz-e/vienna08/report.pdf).In April 2009, IPU, in cooperation with UNODC and in theframework of UN.GIFT, published “Combating Trafficking inPersons. A Handbook for Parliamentarians” (see: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/ipu-and-united-nations-join-forces-to-combat-trafficking-in-persons.html).On 22–23 February 2010, IPU arranged a Regional Seminar onHuman Trafficking in London. The overall objective of the semi-nar was to highlight how parliamentarians should become moreinvolved in ensuring the implementation of existing legislation(see: http://www.ipu.org/splz-e/london10.htm).8. NATOThe Alliance initiated a zero-tolerance policy on human trafficking,which was endorsed at the Istanbul Summit in June 2004. The pol-icy commits NATO member countries and other troop-contribut-ing nations participating in NATO-led operations to reinforceefforts to prevent and combat such activity ,and calls for militaryand civilian personnel and contractors taking part in NATO-led40operations to receive appropriate training on standards of theirbehavior during the operations. NATO regularly reviews the policyon combating trafficking in human beings to make sure that it’seffectively implemented by the Allies, Partners and NATO as anorganization. In 2007, NATO completed a comprehensive review,which led to a range of policy and practical.All efforts of the Alliance in this field are coordinated by theSenior Coordinator on Combating Trafficking in HumanBeings (also NATO ASG for Defence Policy and Planning), aposition created as a follow up to 2007 review of theimplementation (see: http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-81B6B56F-E01F3B06/natolive/news_1725.htm?selectedLocale=en).9. Save the ChildrenThe fight against Trafficking in Human Beings, especially children,is an integral part of the work of Save the Children, although theydo not seem to have a dedicated programme or policy on thisissue. In 2007, they released a research report on children ́sinsights on the risks of human trafficking in Europe (http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/media/newsdesk/2007-09-18.html).10. The Red CrossThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and theInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies(IFRC) do not seem to have any dedicated programmes or projectson the fight against THB, although it is an endeavour that isfrequently mentioned in their publications and reports andstreamlined into their activities. THB was addressed in an issue ofIFRC ́s paper The Bridge in 2005 (http://www.ifrc.org/docs/pubs/insight/bridge-spring05.pdf#xml=http://search.ifrc.org/cgi/texis.exe/webinator/search/pdfhi.txt?query=trafficking&pr=english&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=500&sufs=0&order=r&cq=&id=43d509597). IFRC is also activeon THB issues i Eastern Europe (see e g: http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/09/09031201/). A concept paper (undated) on a Europe-wide programme against THB has been published, but it is unclearwhether it has actually been set in motion (http://www.ifrc.org/docs/pubs/events/berlin02/trafficking_conceptpaper.pdf).11. The International Organization for Migration(IOM)Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organi-zation in the field of migration and works closely with governmen-tal, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.41With 127 member states, a further 17 states holding observer sta-tus and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promot-ing humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does soby providing services and advice to governments and migrants(see: http://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsphttp://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp).IOM takes a comprehensive approach to trafficking in personswithin the wider context of managing migration. IOM’s wide rangeof activities are implemented in partnership with governmentalinstitutions, NGOs and international organizations. IOM has beenworking to counter the trafficking in persons since 1994. In thistime, the Organization has implemented almost 500 projects in 85countries, and has provided assistance to approximately 15,000trafficked persons. IOM’s primary aims are to prevent trafficking inpersons, and to protect victims of the trade while offering themoptions of safe and sustainable reintegration and/or return to theirhome countries. IOM has produced a number of handbooks andmanuals on various issues of trafficking (see: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/activities/by-theme/regulating-migration/counter-traf-ficking).12. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection(CEOP) CentreThe Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre deliv-ers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the exploitation ofchildren. That means building intelligence around the risks, track-ing and bringing offenders to account either directly or with localand international police forces and working with children and par-ents to deliver the ThinkuKnow internet safety programme (see:http://www.ceop.gov.uk/).42Annex 3Midterm Report from the BSPC Working Groupon Trafficking in Human Beings19th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference29–31 August 2010, Mariehamn, ÅlandBy Line Barfod, Chairman of the BSPC Working Group on Traf-ficking in Human Beings, member of the Danish FolketingDear Colleagues,Dear Chairman,Dear ConferenceIt is a great honour for me as Chairman of the BSPC Working Groupon Trafficking in Human Beings to have the opportunity to presentthe Working Group’s Midterm Report here at the 19th Baltic SeaParliamentary Conference in this wonderful setting, surrounded bythe beautiful and peaceful Åland Islands.It is now one year since the 18th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Confer-ence was held at Nyborg in Denmark. It was there that the unani-mous decision was taken, in conjunction with the adoption of thefinal document for the conference, to set up a BSPC WorkingGroup on Civil Security with particular focus on Trafficking ofHuman Beings. One of the themes of the conference was civilsecurity, and we heard for example OSCE’s former special repre-sentative and coordinator for Trafficking of Human Beings, EvaBiaudet, talk about the victims of such trafficking.Trafficking is often associated with women who through force orfalse promises of work are sold over national borders, ending inprostitution. This is not an incorrect picture, but the victims of traf-ficking – or slavery which it perhaps should be called – do not justend up in shady environments remote from the everyday lives ofnormal citizens. Victims also include women, men and childrenwho work as slaves in our private homes – as cleaners, handymenand gardeners. They are exploited in restaurants where we eat, andin hotels where we sleep. They are sold for factory and farmwork,to beg for money, and illegal adoption for the sale of bodily organs.The background is simple. One side of the story is the demand forcheap labour and sexual services. The other side is that it involvespeople with poor living conditions and little or no hope of a better43future. These market conditions are exploited by traffickers, wholure or force their victims into slavery. They exploit people whoseability to support themselves and their families is negligible ornon-existent. This not only occurs in poor countries far from here– it also occurs here in our own region. Humans are traded inexactly the same way as drugs and weapons, but in contrast todrugs and weapon trading where the trafficker can only earnmoney once, people can be sold again and again. And it is this bru-tal perspective that makes human trafficking an extremely lucra-tive business with great potential for profit. At the same time thereis little risk of being caught and punished, so human trafficking isone of the fastest growing types of criminality, not only in the Bal-tic Sea region and Europe, but also in a global context.International organisations estimate that, on a global level, thereare about 2.5 million people who are victims of trafficking inhuman beings. Trafficking takes place amongst us – and in ourregion – and these appalling crimes highlight the need and impor-tance for all of us – locally, nationally and internationally – to workon raising the issue of trafficking in human beings. We in the Work-ing Group are trying to do what we can, but we cannot do this onour own. Fortunately, much has already been done... but muchremains to be done.BSPC’s Standing Committee has decided that the Working Group isto have Trafficking in Human Beings as its main focus area, but theGroup can also consider other aspects of civil security. The Work-ing Group has been given the mandate to formulate political posi-tions and recommendations about civil security issues, and to pre-sent guidelines and practical, political proposals. The WorkingGroup members will exchange positive experiences and work tocreate a political focus on civil security issues – particularly in rela-tion to human trafficking – in the national and regional agendas ofthe Working Group members.Finally, the Working Group will work to propose recommendationsabout civil security and trafficking, in conjunction with the resolu-tion for the 20th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference.The Working Group is a political working group – not a workinggroup of experts. We will try to use our status as a political work-ing group to present political recommendations of common inter-est to the entire Baltic Sea region and also to promote a focus onhuman trafficking on the national political agendas.44Invitations to participate in the Working Group were sent to allmember countries at the end of 2009. Nineteen parliamentariansfrom regional and national parliaments have joined the workinggroup and, so far, the Working Group has held three meetings. Thefirst was held on the 3rd of February 2010 in Copenhagen, the sec-ond on the 8th of April 2010 in Stockholm, and the third on the10th of June 2010 in Oslo. Here, in conjunction with this 19th Bal-tic Sea Parliamentary Conference, the Working Group has also beenable to hold a meeting with the Åland Islands Peace Institute.At the first meeting of the Working Group, we agreed that wewould initially focus exclusively on issues concerning human traf-ficking and decide later on whether we would also take up otheraspects of civil security. We made this decision on the grounds thathuman trafficking is itself a very broad issue involving many, manychallenges.From this perspective, the Working Group agreed on a workingplan involving a total of seven scheduled meetings and a series offocus areas. The planned focus areas are as follows: national andregional perspectives concerning human trafficking; economicaspects of human trafficking; victims of human trafficking; childrenas victims of human trafficking; police and prosecution; and, finally,awareness of human trafficking.Representatives and experts from organisations such as the CBSS,OSCE and national agencies have participated in the three WorkingGroup meetings held so far, and they have shared their experi-ences of work to eliminate human trafficking. For example EvaBiaudet, who I mentioned earlier, took part in the group’s firstmeeting, and experts from, for example, police authorities andNGOs have participated in meetings and talked about economicaspects of human trafficking. We discussed whether human traf-ficking is part of organised crime with the objective of makingmoney, and emphasised the importance of carrying out nationaland international analyses, involving the police, customs and taxauthorities, in order to identify and get to the main traffickers.In addition to the Working Group meetings, the members have par-ticipated in various events and conferences. For example, MariaStenberg from Sweden and I took part in an IPU conference inLondon in February this year, where I was a guest speaker.Before each meeting, the Working Group members prepare a briefabout various national conditions concerning initiatives to elimi-nate human trafficking. On a positive note I can mention that virtu-45ally all member countries have national action plans against humantrafficking, a national rapporteur or equivalent body, and a nationalcoordinating mechanism. Another issue that the Working Grouphas examined is the degree to which trade unions and employerorganisations are involved in the prevention of human traffickingand assistance to the victims of human trafficking. Unfortunately,this showed that the trade unions and employer organisations inthe Baltic Sea region only considered human trafficking in theirwork to a negligible extent. Consequently, this is something theWorking Group wants to work more with in the near future.As mentioned, one of the things that the Group as a political work-ing group can do is to create a focus on human trafficking. We havetried to do this by, for example, writing a joint article on humantrafficking. The article was signed by 11 parliamentary membersand shows that consensus can be reached despite differentnational and party political convictions.The other thing that we as a political working group can do is tomake joint political recommendations. On the basis of our studiesand experiences, we have reached six provisional recommenda-tions that we have submitted to the BSPC Enlarged Standing Com-mittee as an input to this conference’s final document. Again,despite different national and party political convictions, we theWorking Group have not found it difficult to reach consensus onthe recommendations. Quite simply, human trafficking is far tooserious an issue, and it is our hope that the governments of ourcountries can reach understanding in the same way.The Working Group’s six recommendations so far are as follows:• All countries are urged to ratify all relevant international con-ventions, protocols and decisions, and adapt national legisla-tion, so that all stages of human trafficking are criminalised.• Countries should acknowledge that human trafficking is aninternational crime, so international cooperation is required. Atthe same time, exploitation of the victims takes place locally, soit must be fought locally.• Countries should earmark adequate, permanent and targetedfunding and resources to public agencies, NGOs, internationalorganisation and projects such as the CBSS Task Force againstTrafficking in Human Beings.• Countries should work to develop and coordinate the collec-tion of data about human trafficking in order to increase under-standing of the problem, to develop the right initiatives againsthuman trafficking, support investigations and prosecutions and46to provide the best possible support to victims of human traf-ficking.• Countries should work to ensure that the focus is always onthe victims. Human trafficking is exploitation, regardless ofwhere it occurs and whatever form it takes. Human rights mustbe prioritised.• Countries should work to develop effective methods and mod-els at operational level, ensure that relevant public agenciesand NGOs help victims and their families, and increase thenumber of convictions against traffickers and those engaged inexploitation.Human trafficking is an issue that concerns us all, wherever wecome from, and whatever our political convictions. We have a dutyto act, both as citizens and on a political level. We must placerequirements that, in our everyday lives, we do not participate inthe exploitation of women, men and children that are the victimsof trafficking. In the Working Group we have shown that commongoals can be set across the political spectrum. Now it is up to thegovernments of the Baltic States and the EU countries to undertakeattainment of the common goals.Dear Conference,Together with the vice chairmen of the Working Group, AndréOktay Dahl from the Norwegian Parliament and Johan Linanderfrom the Swedish Parliament, and together with the other mem-bers of the Working Group, I want to thank you for the opportu-nity to report on our preliminary results. We are looking forward tothe work ahead and to presenting the Working Group’s report atthe 20th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference – hopefully withgood, concrete proposals as to what the governments of our coun-tries and we all can do to eliminate this terrible modern form ofslavery.Thank you for your attention.47Annex 4Final report from the BSPC Working Group onTrafficking in Human Beings20th Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceHelsinki, 28–30 August 2011By André Oktay Dahl, Vice Chairman of the BSPC WorkingGroup on Trafficking in Human Beings, member of the Parlia-ment of Norway,On behalf ofLine Barfod, Chairman of the BSPC Working Group on Traffick-ing in Human Beings, member of the Danish ParliamentDear Colleagues,Dear Chairperson,Dear ConferenceIt is a great honour for me as Chairman of the BSPC WorkingGroup on Trafficking in Human Beings to have the opportunity topresent the Working Group’s Final Report here at the 20th BalticSea Parliamentary Conference.It has also been an honour and a pleasure for me to preside overthe Working Group. The Working Group has consisted of mem-bers of parliaments from all the countries around the Baltic Seafrom many different political parties. Actually, I don’t know howmany parties, for the simple reason that political affiliation hasnever been an issue at the meetings of the Working Group. Thegrave nature of the subject has made it possible for the WorkingGroup to reach agreement on a number of very concrete politicalrecommendations across countries, regions and political parties.In a short while, I shall return to some of the political recommen-dations to the governments, but first of all I would like to empha-sise the importance of point 40 of the Draft Conference Resolu-tion. This point is an urgent request to the BSPC members toestablish networks of parliamentarians on the fight against traf-ficking in human beings. The Working Group agreed on that point,realizing that all the recommendations to the governments mightend up as just another piece of paper if the parliamentarians donot commit themselves to continuously monitor the progress of48various activities in the fight against trafficking in human beingsand to develop the relations between the executive and the legisla-tive powers. To snap at the governments’ heels, so to speak.The members of the Working Group have already decided forthemselves to establish an informal network as a Facebook groupin order to secure continuity of the fruitful work of the group.In the Final Report of the Working Group which you will find out-side this meeting room, you can read the full text of all the 15 polit-ical recommendations from the group – plus the request to theparliaments which I just mentioned. Recommendations 1–6 weresubmitted to the 19th BSPC in 2010 and presented in the MidtermReport of the Working Group for that occasion and are conse-quently not repeated in the draft Conference Resolution for this20th BSPC, but they are of course still a part of the total number ofrecommendations from the Working Group.Recommendations 7–15 have been discussed and adopted by theWorking Group since the 19th BSPC in 2010 and do now consti-tute point 23–31 of the Draft Conference Resolution for this 20thBSPC.We have in the Working Group concentrated on recommendationswhere we as parliamentarians have learned from the experts andfrom each other that this particular point should be strengthenedin our work against slavery.The Working Group has made an effort to be very precise whenformulating the recommendations and they may therefore seemlong and detailed. Accordingly, I will not read them out here, buteach of them deals with its own specific theme. The headlines foreach recommendation could be as follows:1. Signing and ratification of international conventions2. Recognition of trafficking as an international cross-bordercrime3. Secure and long term funding4. Coordinated and transparent system for information exchange5. Victim-based approach, respecting human rights6. Strengthening the operational capacity7. Follow the money8. Forced labour9. Children10. The efficiency of existing legislation and political and judicialsystem4911. Awareness raising12. Joint understanding among all actors in the region13. Continuous evaluation and reporting on the progress14. Reducing the drainage of experienced personnel15. Identification and incrimination of the middlemenAll of the recommendations are of course important and comple-mentary to each other. All of them need follow up. If I althoughshould highlight some of them it would be no 3, 5 and 7.To secure long term funding of public authorities, NGOs and inter-governmental organizations and projects in order to maintain thepursuit of persistent and sustained efforts against trafficking inhuman beings is crucial in the combat against this horrible crime.Today, unsecure and short term funding make the life of especiallythe NGOs very uncertain and result in drainage from these organi-zations of experienced personnel – detrimental to the fight againsttrafficking.To ensure that a victim-based approach is adopted in all measuresand actions against trafficking in human beings, meaning amongother things that the human rights of trafficked persons should beat the centre of all efforts against trafficking and that victims andrelatives of victims should receive unconditional assistance regard-less of their status and of their willingness to participate in crimi-nal proceedings against traffickers, is an even so crucial point.We have learned that it is a problem for an efficient work againstslavery if the victims are treated rather as illegal immigrants than asvictims. So a human rights approach is not only the political cor-rect way and the best for the victims, it is also the best way to fightslavery. Because with such an approach, many more victims andconcerned citizens will contact the authorities and help with theinvestigations and court cases against the traffickers.Finally, to follow the money means detecting money flows stem-ming from trafficking in human beings, by tracking money emanat-ing from trafficking as well as strengthening the measures to con-fiscate proceeds from those engaged in trafficking. They are allother vital tools in the fight against trafficking. In Denmark the taxauthorities have been quite successful in using the so called “AlCapone method” in the fight against organized crime. It must bepossible to expand this success even to profits from trafficking inhuman beings.50Trafficking is a big business with enormous gains. We must makebusiness analyses of where the money is in this business so thatwe can fight it most efficiently. For instance, a business analysis willshow that the big profit is not in the selling of slaves but in the useof the slaves. If you sell drugs or guns you can only make money oneach item once, but with a slave you earn new money every day.So, we must be much more efficient in putting the use of slaves toa stop and not just focus on the trafficking of the slaves.Dear Conference,I want to thank you for the opportunity to report on the results ofthe Working Group and I want to thank all the members of thegroup for their dedicated contributions. And thanks to the secretar-iat and the other secretarial participants. It has been a pleasureworking with you all, even on this subject which you sometimesthink is too gruesome to be true.Now the work of the group has come to an end but that doesn’tmean that the fight against trafficking in human beings is over. Onthe contrary. We have almost just started, but we are determined towin this fight. The world has shown once that it was able to eradi-cate slavery. Let us show that we are also able to eradicate this“modern” version of slavery.Thank you for your attention.51Annex 5List of experts who have addressed theWorking GroupMs Eva Biaudet, Minority Ombudsman, Finland, former OSCE Spe-cial Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Traffickingin Human BeingsMr Christer Pursiainen, Senior Advisor, the CBSS SecretariatMs Anna Ekstedt, Senior Advisor, CBSS Task Force against Traffickingin Human Beings, CBSS SecretariatMr Lars Lööf, Head of Children’s Unit, CBSS SecretariatMr Patrik Cederlöf, National Co-ordinator against Prostitution/Traf-ficking, Social Development Department, County Administra-tive Board of StockholmMs Astri Aas-Hansen, State Secretary, Ministry of Justice and thePolice, NorwayMr Jan Austad, Senior Advisor and National Co-ordinator on Traffick-ing in Human Beings, Ministry of Justice and the Police, NorwayMr Harald Bøhler, Head of the Oslo Police STOP GroupMs Bjørg Norli, the Oslo Pro CentreMr Svend-Erik Nagelgaard, Police Sergeant, Kripos, the NorwegianPoliceMs Marta Bociek, Project Officer, CBSS Task Force against Traffick-ing in Human BeingsMs Caroline O’Reilly, Head of the Special Action Programme toCombat Forced Labour, ILOMs Veronica Munk, TAMPEP, European Network for HIV/STI Preven-tion and Health Promotion among Migrant Sex WorkersExperts from the Co-ordination Office against Trafficking inWomen (KOOFRA), HamburgMr Niraj Nathwani, Programme Manager, The European UnionAgency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)Ms Venla Roth, Senior Officer, The Office of the Ombudsman forMinorities, National Rapporteur on Trafficking in HumanBeings, FinlandMr Dimitrijs Trofimovs, Director of Sectoral Policy Department,Ministry of the Interior, LatviaMr Arturs Vaiš ̨la, Head of Unit 3 for Fight against Trafficking inHuman Beings and Soutenerism, the Organised Crime Combat-ing Board, Main Criminal Police Board, the State Police, LatviaMr Aivars Bergmanis, Prosecutor of Specialized Prosecution Officeto Combat Organized Crime and Other Specific Kinds of Crime,Prosecution General Office, Latvia52Ms L ̄asma Stabin‚ a, Senior Desk Officer of Policy ImplementationDivision, Sectoral Policy Department, the Ministry of the Inte-rior, LatviaMs Marianne Gulløv, External Communications Manager, The BodyShop, DenmarkMr Anthony Jay, Head of Media & Communications, CBSS Secretar-iat, Task Force against Trafficking in Human BeingsMs Giedre ̇ Blazyte ̇, Missing persons‘ families, LithuaniaMs Ona Gustiene ̇, Missing persons‘ families, LithuaniaBaltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceT he BSPC Working Group on Traffickingin Human BeingsFinal report of the BSPCWorking Group on Traffickingin Human BeingsBaltic Sea Parliamentary Conference Secretariatwww.bspc.netc/o Nordic CouncilVed Stranden 18DK-1061 Copenhagen K.Phone (+45) 33 96 04 00www.norden.org.US 2011:416