Justice at Last - Access to Compensation for Trafficked Persons
- Document number
- 3234
- Date
- 2016
- Title
- Justice at Last - Access to Compensation for Trafficked Persons
- Author/publisher
- La Strada International
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- LSI publication,
- Keywords
- human trafficking, human rights, compensation, justice, access to justice, remedies
- Summary
- Today, on the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, we NGOs call upon all European governments to implement the ten action points described below to ensure that trafficked persons can access their right to compensation and to remove the obstacles that prevent them from doing so.
Most European countries have legal provisions for victims of crime to claim compensation or otherwise to be compensated for material and non-material damages. However, even when the legal framework is in place, the right of people who have been trafficked or exploited to actually seek and obtain compensation remains one that is difficult or impossible to exercise in practice. Evidence shows that very few trafficked persons have the information and the means to seek compensation. Even fewer actually receive a compensation payment.
Although compensation is an internationally recognised right of trafficked persons, there are many barriers that prevent them from accessing this right.
As long as barriers to compensation exist, European Governments fail to fully implement their obligations under article 17 of the EU Directive 2011/36/EU to ensure victims access to compensation.
We therefore call upon all European governments to recognise and remove the barriers for trafficked persons to claim compensation and to ensure that justice is done.
Read the full statement and the ten action points. - Related documents