Agenda item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Written statement submitted by the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women
Reducing the risk of human trafficking by increasing the opportunities for safe migration
Human trafficking mostly happens in the context of labour migration. People leave home in search of a better life and get exploited by unscrupulous agents or abusive employers. While the third parties make huge profits, the workers often find themselves in a limbo. When assistance reaches them it is often too little or too late. Different languages and legal systems in countries of origin and destination may impede their access to justice. Many times the work they do does not even fall under the labour laws of the destination country. The majority of trafficked persons are migrant workers in the informal, unorganised and unprotected sectors.
Agenda item 4: Thematic discussion on the theme “Violence against migrants, migrant workers and their families.”
Statement by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW)
24 April 2012 (delivered 25 April 2012)
In every period of human history people have migrated in the hope of a better quality of life. Border controls do little to stop them. What they do is determine how migrants will cross them, what status they will have on arrival, the risks they will face in transit and at destination, and their access to remedies. Increased border controls and security push people to paying higher fees & taking more dangerous routes.They create a group of people that is at risk of exploitation in transit and in the workplace.
Deported without Justice: Discrimination in the identification of foreign born victims of human trafficking
Introduction
Franciscans International (FI) and the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW) welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, on the right to an effective remedy for trafficked persons.
The need to redress wrongs and provide remedies to victims of crimes is a fundamental legal principle, and a well-established rule of international human rights law[1] with obligations and responsibilities widely articulated in international human rights treaties[2] and soft law[3]. Further, substantial dedicated anti-trafficking laws and policies have been adopted in increasing numbers of countries worldwide, many of which consider the need to provide remedies to victims of trafficking.
Joint written statement submitted by Amnesty International a non-governmental organization with specialconsultative status, the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and Franciscans International (FI) non-governmental organizations with special consultative status
SECTION V
Title: An urgent need for a victim-centered monitoring mechanism to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) to combat human trafficking.
SECTION VI
Text:
Amnesty International, The Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW) and Franciscans International welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, in particular her timely focus on coordination and cooperation mechanisms to address trafficking. Furthermore, we welcome the planned Panel on Trafficking, enabling interaction between States and trafficked persons, particularly “with a view to reinforcing the centrality of their human rights and needs, and taking into account their recommendations when devising actions to combat human trafficking” (Decision 13/117).
Mme President, Distinguished Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, fellow members of civil society, Ladies and Gentlemen,
NGOs working with and on behalf of those affected by issues covered by the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and the Protocols thereto (UNTOC), including trafficked persons, migrants and those affected by the illicit trade in firearms, jointly mark the 10th Anniversary of this landmark convention. The Convention and most of its protocols have now been widely ratified and many countries have developed relevant national legislation. However, we are concerned that momentum to implement the Convention and its protocols is waning and believe that in order to achieve UNTOC’s aims there is a pressing need to reinvigorate this treaty by assessing successes and limitations in its implementation:
In reference to transnational organised crime, illegal assets belonging to organized criminal groups must be confiscated and redistributed through community projects and activities. Further, endemic official corruption, which reinforces and promotes links between criminal activities such as terrorism and drug trafficking, must be acknowledged and addressed to reduce such crimes. In the field of emerging crimes, particularly cyber crime, we urge all States to promote a culture of cyber security in close cooperation with civil society and the private sector, and stress that in doing so particular attention must be paid to avoid measures which discriminate against vulnerable groups especially migrants.
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