28-29 May 2018 - EU Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings
Last Updated: 04 July 2018
by Giacomo MANCA
A few weeks ago, the EU Affairs Office participated in the first meeting for this year of the EU Anti-Trafficking Platform, gathering 100 NGOs committed to combat trafficking against human beings in Europe. A few days after, the work programme for 2018 and the financing of Union actions in the framework of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund were published, renewing the commitment of the European Commission to work on the comprehensive approach to migration, including to address third country national victims of trafficking in human beings as one of the funding priorities.
As highlighted in the Communication " Reporting on the follow-up to the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of trafficking in human beings and identifying further concrete actions", identification remains a challenge in mixed and mass migration flows, and victims of THB often go undetected. Victims must be considered primarily as rights holders, and they must be able to understand and exercise/have access to their rights.
The upcoming call for proposals will address the specific challenges and the specific needs of victims of trafficking, in particular: early identification; assistance and support; safe and sustainable return and reintegration; durable solutions for child victims and; measures to preventing the risk of their re-trafficking.
Compensation to victims
The meeting of the EU Anti-Trafficking Platform, chaired by the EU anti-trafficking coordinator Myria Vassiliadou, touched several issues, enjoyed the participation of Ambassador Mara Marinaki, EU principal advisor on Gender, and the special adviser to the President of the EU Commission for the compensation of victims of crimes Joëlle Milquet.
Ensure better access to and realise the rights of victims of trafficking in human beings is indeed one of the priorities of the European Commission, which is aiming at reviewing the EU legislation to facilitate fair and adequate compensation to victims. If you have questions on this topic, we invite you to write us: a survey will be soon sent around, to allow national contact persons and people working on anti-human trafficking in the Salvation Army to contribute to this work.
Tags: Europe