Dear Mr. Chairman,

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) appreciates
the opportunity to address this Committee today in relation inter
alia to the Secretary General's report on “Trafficking in
women and girls” (A/63/215) and is particularly pleased that
this report focuses on two issues close to our heart, namely
partnership and cooperation at all levels, as well as victim
protection.

Mr. Chairman,

The feminization of international migration is a contemporary
feature of international mobility, and nearly 50% of the world's
migrants are now women. Many women today migrate independently of
their families in response to a wide range of labour demands and
occupational opportunities, and we recognize the potential for
greater autonomy and self-determination enjoyed by this increasing
number of women around the globe. But while we are encouraged by
this general empowerment of women through migration, we must be
conscious that migration also has a darker side that
disproportionately affects women by as much as 80%, particularly
those being recruited for jobs in the most unregulated sectors.
Women may also face limits to mobility due to low levels of
education, limited socio-economic independence, inadequate
resources and support networks, leaving them more vulnerable to
exploitation and human traffickers. Human traffickers often target
children and young women, and their ploys are creative and
ruthless. According to some estimates, about 800,000 of these
vulnerable migrants are trafficked across national borders every
year, so while national responses are a crucial element to fight
trafficking in persons, no state or government can address this
global phenomenon in isolation. Because of its cross-border nature,
national responses to trafficking in persons need to be
complemented by bilateral or regional responses. Furthermore, given
that trafficking in persons is a multi-dimensional threat,
depriving people of their human rights, freedoms, and harming their
physical and mental health, no actor can successfully address
alonge. Here multilateral organizations can usefully assist
committed governments seeking to meet international standards for
combating human trafficking, and are particularly effective when
drawn from the unique and comparative advantages of the respective
agencies. However, as the Secretary-General points out in his
report “efforts have been made to strengthen action and
coordination among a range of different stakeholders and to enhance
bilateral and multilateral cooperation – but despite these
developments, trafficking in persons persists”. So it is
crucial to continue this fight, even more forcefully, more
coherently and with better coordination.

Mr. Chairman,

One of the weapons we can use in this fight is to increase and
further refine technical cooperation and capacity development with
governmental partners and civil society organizations. In this
regard, it is equally important that methodologies and achievements
in the field of counter trafficking activities are evaluated and
analyzed in order to be able to continually improve interventions.
As such, IOM has been producing a number of tools for the use of
partner organizations and practitioners, such as the Handbook on
Direct Assistance for Victims of Trafficking and the recently
published Handbook on Performance Indicators for Counter
Trafficking Projects.

Mr. Chairman,

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime that requires a
principled approach in addressing victims' assistance and IOM looks
at it within a broader migrant protection framework. Much remains
to be done to fill the implementation gap that still hamper a
comprehensive and rights-based response: Cultural and language
barriers may make it difficult for trafficked women to gain legal
recourse and necessary health services.  In addition, their
legal status in the country of destination may subject them to
erroneous detention and deportation rather than providing them with
the services they so urgently need. As trafficking patterns often
follow broader migratory patterns it can be increasingly difficult
to distinguish those migrants who are trafficked from others who
may not have been trafficked but have similar protection and/or
humanitarian needs. While data collection and research on
trafficking of women and girls remains an under-documented form of
violence against women, the lines we draw between trafficked
persons, exploited migrants, and smuggled migrants who may, or may
not, be destined for exploitation, can be exceptionally thin.
Certainly distinguishing between these different migrant categories
has important implications in terms of criminal prosecution, so why
should it matter in terms of protection? At the moment, to
positively define one person as a victim of trafficking means that
he or she may be eligible for reflection delays, safe
accommodation, psychosocial support and a raft of other forms of
assistance now available. But a migrant – especially if she
doesn't fit our stereotype of a victim – is unlikely even to
be screened for possible trafficking and/or exploitation. Is it
logical to base such a disproportionate response on the fine and
imperfect lines between a smuggled migrant, a stranded migrant, an
exploited migrant, or a trafficked person? Is it not more
reasonable to base our response on the degree of need?

So, while IOM emphasises the continued need to improve victim
identification practices, we wish to make note of the importance of
providing protection and assistance to all migrants in need. We
believe that this approach will allow us to focus our energies and
resources more appropriately on responding to the specifics and
severity of the exploitation suffered by all migrants.

To conclude, Mr. Chairman, IOM is committed to those most
vulnerable, especially in times of crisis and remains dedicated to
working resourcefully and proficiently with governments and agency
partners.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.