Side Event to the 58th Commission on the Status of Women
Trafficking in human beings: a severe form of violence against women and girls and a flagrant violation of human rights
The side event will present the added value of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings in the framework of international standards and the monitoring mechanism set-up to ensure compliance with the Conventions' provisions.
Monday 10 March 2014, 1.15 – 2.45
CR1 Conference Building, UN Headquarters, New York
Trafficking in human beings violates the human rights and affects the lives of countless people around the world. The vast majority of these victims are women and girls. While sexual exploitation continues to prevail, trafficking of women and girls for other forms of exploitation, such as domestic servitude, forced marriage and forced begging, is on the rise. Gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence are both root causes and consequences of human trafficking.
The Council of Europe is actively combating trafficking in human beings in its member States and beyond, in partnership with other international organisations and civil society. The Council of Europe’s commitment to combating human trafficking reached an important stage in 2005 with the adoption of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Convention takes a victim-oriented perspective to anti-trafficking action and provides for a series of rights for victims of trafficking. While applying to women, men and children, the Convention recognises that measures to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings require guaranteeing gender equality and using gender mainstreaming in the development, implementation and assessment of anti-trafficking policies. The Convention has already been ratified by 41 countries and is open for accession to countries which are not members of the Council of Europe.
The Side Event will present the added value of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings in the framework of international standards and the monitoring mechanism set up to ensure compliance with the Convention’s provisions, in particular the reports of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). GRETA has almost finalised the first round of the evaluation of the Convention and its country-by-country reports provide information on trends, good practices and gaps. The Side Event will also provide an opportunity to exchange on the particular challenges for women and girls, with a focus on trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude.
Keynote speakers:
• Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General, Council of Europe
• Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Director General for Legal and Consular Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Austrian National Coordinator on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
• Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive Director
• Nisha Varia, Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
• Beate Andrees, Head, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour
Moderator: Nicolas Le Coz, President of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)
CR1 Conference Building, UN Headquarters, New York
Trafficking in human beings violates the human rights and affects the lives of countless people around the world. The vast majority of these victims are women and girls. While sexual exploitation continues to prevail, trafficking of women and girls for other forms of exploitation, such as domestic servitude, forced marriage and forced begging, is on the rise. Gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence are both root causes and consequences of human trafficking.
The Council of Europe is actively combating trafficking in human beings in its member States and beyond, in partnership with other international organisations and civil society. The Council of Europe’s commitment to combating human trafficking reached an important stage in 2005 with the adoption of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Convention takes a victim-oriented perspective to anti-trafficking action and provides for a series of rights for victims of trafficking. While applying to women, men and children, the Convention recognises that measures to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings require guaranteeing gender equality and using gender mainstreaming in the development, implementation and assessment of anti-trafficking policies. The Convention has already been ratified by 41 countries and is open for accession to countries which are not members of the Council of Europe.
The Side Event will present the added value of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings in the framework of international standards and the monitoring mechanism set up to ensure compliance with the Convention’s provisions, in particular the reports of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). GRETA has almost finalised the first round of the evaluation of the Convention and its country-by-country reports provide information on trends, good practices and gaps. The Side Event will also provide an opportunity to exchange on the particular challenges for women and girls, with a focus on trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude.
Keynote speakers:
• Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General, Council of Europe
• Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, Director General for Legal and Consular Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Austrian National Coordinator on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
• Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Executive Director
• Nisha Varia, Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
• Beate Andrees, Head, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour
Moderator: Nicolas Le Coz, President of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)