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Home Newsroom News and press releases Civil society engagement crucial for effective efforts against human trafficking, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR-supported discussion in Warsaw
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Civil society engagement crucial for effective efforts against human trafficking, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR-supported discussion in Warsaw

18 September 2017
Taina Bien-Aimé, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), speaking about the role of civil society in countering human trafficking during an event organized in co-operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the margins of the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, 18 September 2017. (OSCE/Maria Kuchma) Photo details

The important role of civil society in countering human trafficking in the OSCE area was highlighted at an event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) in Warsaw on 18 September 2017. The event took place during the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference.

“Combating trafficking in human beings requires a multidisciplinary, cross-sector approach, involving all relevant actors from government and civil society,” said Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Advisor on Anti-Trafficking Issues at ODIHR. “The process of drawing up measures to counter different forms of human trafficking is sure to benefit from the greater expertise this co-operative approach brings.”

The event was attended by representatives of OSCE delegations, international organizations and civil society. CATW, one of the first organizations dedicated to ending trafficking in women and girls, opened the NGO panel.

“We applaud the OSCE for inviting civil society to contribute to these critical discussions and to help find solutions to end this human rights violation,” said Taina Bien-Aimé, CATW’s Executive Director. “Given its role in serving and protecting victims and joining forces with survivor leaders, civil society is best placed to inform member states on current patterns of human trafficking and best practices to address this scourge.”

Representatives of other NGOs from the OSCE region, such as Anti-Violence Network (Georgia), the Greek Forum of Refugees (Greece), Iroko (Italy), La Strada (Poland) and Istiqbolli Avlod (Uzbekistan), also shared their perspective on the role of civil society in combating trafficking in human beings. Particular attention was given to good practices in decreasing the vulnerabilities to trafficking in human beings within mixed-migration flows.

The event was part of ODIHR’s assistance to OSCE participating States in promoting a comprehensive human rights-based and victim-centred approach to combating all forms of trafficking in human beings.