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Report of the Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings

Document number
1049
Date
2004
Title
Report of the Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings
Author/publisher
Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings, European Commission, European Union (EU)
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Return; Law enforcement; Anti-corruption strategies; Money laundering; Seizure of assets; Restitution; Compensation, Remuneration; Awareness raising; Social inclusion; Protection; Reflection period; Residence permit; Witness protection; Individual complaint mechanisms; Data collection: National Rapporteurs; Data exchange; Human rights approach, Root causes, Sexual exploitation, Labour exploitation, Definition (of trafficking); Holistic approach, Integrated approach; Migration, European Union, Justice and Home Affairs, Prevention, Protection, Prosecution, Vulnerability, Migration policy; Economic migration; Migrant rights; Free movement, National Referral Mechanisms; European Anti-Trafficking Network;
Summary
According to Article 3(3) of Commission Decision of 25 March 2003 setting up a consultative group, to be known as the "Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings", the Group shall submit a report to the Commission in order to assist the latter with a view to launching further concrete proposals at European level. The Commission intends to issue a communication on trafficking in human beings in 2005. In this draft report, the Expert Group issues recommendations, which, amongst others, say that from a human rights perspective, the primary concern is to combat the use of forced labour or services, including forced sexual services, slavery, slavery like practices, servitude or the like. It is therefore recommended that States adequately criminalize any exploitation of human beings under forced and/or slavery like conditions, independent of whether such exploitation concerns a trafficked person, a smuggled person, an illegal migrant or a lawful resident. In applying the Trafficking Protocol, States should focus on the outcomes of forced labour or services, slavery or slavery like practices – which a+H49re inherently coercive – rather than the movement or coercion elements, which should be seen as preparatory to these outcomes, as opposed to the acts that require criminal sanctions and interventions as human rights violations. [...] A human rights approach, including a child rights approach should be integrated as a normative framework in the further development of policies and measures against the trafficking in human beings, both at national and European level. The role of civil society actors, in particular independent NGOs, should be more extensively recognised, not only because of their role in providing assistance to trafficked person but also because of their critical role in maintaining and strengthening democratic processes and in monitoring and advocating impleme+H49ntation of human rights commitments by States. EU Commission documentation centre on trafficking in human beings: http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/crime/trafficking/doc_crime_human_trafficking_en.htm
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