BSPC Working Group on Trafficking in Human Beings 2009-2011

The BSPC Working Group on Civil Security, especially trafficking in human beings, presented its Final Report and Policy Recommendations to the 20^th BSPC in Helsinki 28-30 August 2011.

The Working Group was chaired by Line Barfod, MP, Denmark. André O Dahl, MP, Norway, and Johan Linander, MP, Sweden, were Vice Chairmen. Presentations from the Working Group meetings can be found on the right-hand side. The Working Group issued a number of questions to governments, to trade unions and others. The questions and the answers received can be found under "Other Documents". Reports and other texts by the Working Group are also found to the right.

The BSPC Standing Committee in November 2011 appointed two Co-Rapporteurs on Trafficking in Human Beings: Mr Johan Linander, MP and Vice Chair of the Swedish Riksdag's Standing Committee on Justice and Mr André Oktay Dahl, MP and Vice Chair of the Norwegian Storting's Standing Committee on Justice. After having retired from their home parliaments, the BSPC Standing Committee appointed Mr Thomas Stritzl, MP from the German Bundestag as new rapporteur. The mandate of the rapporteurs is to follow developments within this subject area and to follow-up the implementation of recommendations of the Working Group. Their reports can be found on the webpage of the Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings.

The Working Group held its inaugural meeting in Copenhagen on 3 february 2010. The Group discussed its mandate, objectives and working methods. Its main focus will be trafficking in human beings, understood as a form of modern slavery and exploitation. 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 was held in the Swedish Parliament on 8 april. The meeting included a hearing of three experts in the field of Trafficking in Human Beings: Anna Ekstedt, Senior Advisor, CBSS Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings; Lars Lööf, Head of Children´s Unit, CBSS; and Patrik Cederlöf, National Co-ordinator against Prostitution and Trafficking, the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. The hearing delivered extensive information on strategic as well as operational measures in the fight against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The economic aspects on trafficking in human beings was the overarching theme for the third meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Civil Security, which was convened in Oslo on 10 June. Guest speakers at the meeting were Mr Jan Austad, Norwegian National Coordinator on Trafficking in Human Beings, Mr Harald Bøhler, Head of the Oslo Police STOP Group, Ms Bjørg Norli, the Oslo Pro Centre, and Mr Sven-Erik Nagelgaard from the Norwegian criminal police.

Line Barfod presented a midterm report from the Working Group at the 19^th BSPC in Mariehamn 30-31 August 2010. The report can be found under Related Information/Reports.

The fourth meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Civil Security/Trafficking in Hamburg 25 October 2010 centered on the victims of trafficking. Expert presentations were provided by i.a. Caroline O´Reilly, Head of the Special Action programme to Combat Forced Labour, the International Labour Office; experts from the Co-ordination Office against Trafficking in Women (KOOFRA), Hamburg; and Veronica Munk, TAMPEP ,European Network for HIV/STI Prevention among Migrant Sex Workers. The Working Group was also given a status report on the CBSS Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings by Marta Bociek, Project Officer at the Task Force.

Trafficking in children and children at risk were the themes when the Working Group on Trafficking held its fifth meeting in Helsinki on 18 January 2011. Expert presentations were provided by Lars Lööf, Head of Children's Unit, CBSS, Niraj Nathwani, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, and Dr Venla Roth, Senior Officer, the Office of the Ombudsman for Minorities, Finland's National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings. The WG also commenced deliberations on the political recommendations in its final report, to be presented at the 20^th BSPC in Helsinki 28-30 August 2011.

The sixth meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking addressed Police, prosecution and the court of law when the group met in Riga on 4 March. Expert presentation were provided by Dimitrijs Trofimovs, Director of Sectoral Policy Department, Ministry of the Interior, Latvia, Arturs Vaišla, Head of Unit 3 for Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings and Soutenerism, the Organised Crime Combating Board, the State Police, Latvia, Aivars Bergmanis, Prosecutor of Specialized Prosecution Office to Combat Organized Crime and Other Specific Kinds of Crime, Prosecution General Office, Latvia, and Lasma Stabina, Senior Desk Officer of Policy Implementation Division, Sectoral Policy Department, the Ministry of the Interior, Latvia. The WG also discussed a first draft of political recommendations for its final report. The meeting was well covered by Latvian media.

The seventh and final meeting of the Working group was held in the Lithuanian Parliament on 16 June 2011. The meeting was devoted to awareness raising on trafficking, and the Working Group got information, experiences and inspiration from Ms Marianne Gulløv, External Communications Manager, the Body Shop, Mr Anthony Jay, Head of Media and Communications, CBSS Secretariat, and Ms Giedre Blazyte and Ms Ona Gustiene, Missing Persons Families Support Centre, Lithuania. The Working Group also finalized its political recommendations on trafficking, which will be included in the final report of the group and conveyed to the BSPC Drafting Committee as input to the 20^th BSPC Draft Resolution. Points of contact for the Working Group:

Thomas Fraser Adviser Nordic Council Secretariat International Department Stortinget, The Norwegian Parliament Phone +47 23 31 35 91 Mobile +47 40 45 54 50 Fax +47 23 31 38 62 thomas.fraser@stortinget.no

Jan Widberg Head of BSPC Secretariat C/o Nordic Council Ved Stranden 18 DK-1061 Copenhagen Denmark +45 24 699446 jw@norden.org