Switzerland - IOM today joins with the European Union (EU), other European countries and partners throughout the region in marking the Seventh EU Anti-Trafficking Day. 

Human trafficking is one of the world's most serious transnational crimes and one of the most complex human rights challenges of our time. While the global scale of human trafficking is difficult to quantify, as many as 800,000 people may be trafficked across international borders each year, with many more being trafficked inside their own countries. Organized criminal groups are known to be earning billions of dollars in profits from exploiting their victims.

Today, countries in the EU that were traditionally considered countries of destination (like the UK) are also countries of origin for trafficked human beings. There has also been a noted increase in victims of trafficking in Europe in recent years, whether they are victims of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced begging, or a combination.

Against this backdrop, the Seventh EU Anti-Trafficking Day is being marked today at a special event in Vilnius by the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the European Commission.

The EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings is the practical instrument complementing the EU’s and its Member States’ efforts.  IOM has welcomed the Strategy and backs the EU’s continued dedication to a victim-centered and human rights based approach.

IOM, as one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the world, has worked globally since 1994 to prevent and fight trafficking in human beings. It has implemented more than 900 counter-trafficking projects in over 100 countries.

In 2012 alone, IOM provided direct assistance to 6,499 victims of trafficking from 89 different nationalities worldwide and assisted over 20,000 vulnerable migrants, including victims of trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

In addition to direct assistance to victims, prevention and demand reduction are drivers of innovative IOM initiatives in the fight against trafficking and exploitation.

IOM's “Buy Responsibly” information campaign addresses the demand for goods and services provided by victims of trafficking by urging consumers to play a greater role in ending human trafficking (www.buyresponsibly.org).

It was developed together with Saatchi & Saatchi Simko in Geneva, and aims to change consumer behavior by asking “What Lies Behind the Things We Buy?”

IOM is tackling the problem of unethical recruitment through a new international framework to reduce migrant worker exploitation and trafficking for forced labour. The International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) will promote ethical labour recruitment through a consortium of international stakeholders committed to fair selection and recruitment standards.

In promoting evidence-based responses to the problem, IOM conducts quantitative and qualitative research to combat trafficking in human beings, including research on human trafficking routes and trends, the causes and consequences of human trafficking both for the individual trafficked person and for society, as well as the structures, motivations and modus operandi of organized criminal groups.

While much of this work has been done at national level, IOM also collects and analyzes global data on human trafficking to better support cooperation between States to stop cross-border trade in human beings. This information is stored in IOM's Human Trafficking Database, which contains primary data on more than 25,000 trafficked persons assisted by the Organization since 1997.

Today a one-day Opening Event will also take place in Geneva to mark European Anti-Trafficking Day and to launch Switzerland’s week against trafficking in persons.

The event, organized in coordination with IOM, ILO, UNHCR, and OHCHR will aim to raise awareness in the international community and among the general public on the different types of exploitation that exist around the world, including slavery, bonded labour, domestic servitude, forced labour, forced marriage, and removal of organs. More information is available at http://www.18oktober.ch/opening.

For more information, please contact

Jonathan Martens
Email: jmartens@iom.int
Tel. +41 79.224.9747

or

Laurence Hart
Email: lhart@iom.int
Tel. +41 79 833 6411