UN Rapporteur Calls For Focus On Trafficking Victims

Joy Ezeilo at Egyptian Trafficking Conference which was held on April 21, 2010 (Source: Agence France-Presse)

24 November 2010  

Scoop Independent News (New York) – Joy Ezeilo, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking of Persons, called on nations to focus on providing aid to human trafficking victims (especially women and children). Ms. Ezeilo called on origin, transit, and destination states to provide easy and ample access of legal, financial, and residency aid, as well as information and authorities, to victims. Ms. Ezeilo maintains states must meet human rights standards when providing these types of aid. Many governments created a basis for Ms. Ezeilo’s call for victim focus which will be stated in Ms. Ezeilo’s June 2011 report to the UN Human Rights Council.

Source:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1011/S00561/un-urges-governments-to-focus-on-victims-of-trafficking.htm

(Reliability: 9/10)

UN Co-Hosts West Africa Migrant/Refugee Trafficking Workshops

Map of West Africa (Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)

19 November 2010

Reliefweb.com (United Nations) - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, along with the International Organization for Migration, have organized workshops in West Africa to exchange information on progress on migrant/refugee programs. The workshops focus on inter-agency referral of migrants, asylum requests, and the effects of human trafficking on victims. The ultimate goal of the workshops is to expand and create unity of knowledge and tactics throughout the region to protect the influx of refugees and migrants. The workshops will be held in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo from November 22^nd to December 9^th.    

Source:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/JALR-8BCDRL?OpenDocument

(Reliability: 7/10)

UN Committee Condemns North Korean Trafficking Policy

North Korea's Deputy UN Ambassador, Pak Tok Hun, at the UN during the May 2009 North Korea Missile Crisis (Source: Washington Times)

18 November 2010 

Voice of America (United Nations) – The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a resolution which condemns North Korea’s human rights policies. Aside from human rights abuses, North Korea was called upon by the committee to end female trafficking and to begin cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. North Korea’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Pak Tok Hun, rejected the call for reform as a US political conspiracy against North Korea’s sovereignty. The North Korean resolution passed the committee with 103 votes in favor, 18 against, and 60 abstaining.

Source:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/UN-General-Assembly-Committee-Condemns-Human-Rights-Abuses-in-N-Korea--109051814.html

(Reliability: 7/10)

UNODC Director Gives Update On Victim Fund

18 November 2010

Scoop Independent News (New York) – UN Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director, Yuri Fedotov, gave an update on the financial and administrative status of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking. Director Fedotov gave details about the Secretary General selected advising board of trustees, mainly members (Aleya Hammad-Egypt, Saisuree Chutikul-Thailand, Nick Kinsella-UK, Virginia Murillo Herrera-Costa Rica and Klara Skrivankova-Czech Republic)  and tenure (3 years). Belarus, Egypt, Malaysia, Luxembourg, Qatar ,Thailand, and the Executive Chairman  of Orascom Telecom, Naguib Sawiris, have pledged financial support. Director Fedotov called for continued financial support from other nations and companies.

Source:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1011/S00382/un-fund-for-victims-of-human-trafficking-grows.htm

(Reliability: 8/10)

UN Calls For Protection Of Latin American Migrant Children

(Source: CIA World Fact Book)

08 November 2010

UN News Centre (United Nations) – In a new study, UNICEF and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean called on Latin American nations to adopt policies designed to protect vulnerable migrant children from child traffickers. The agencies found that children are vulnerable when traveling with parents or when left with relatives while parents migrate. Since many Latin child migrants are illegal aliens, their rights to legal and social aid become limited. The agencies called on nations to avoid detention of child migrants and ensuring child rights to aid through new legislation.

Source:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36692&Cr=migration&Cr1=

(Reliability: 6/10)

UN Formally Launches Trust Fund For Trafficking Victims

Aston Kutcher (left) and Demi Moore are two the celebrities in attendance for the launch of the UN Victim Trust Fund (Source: UNGIFT)

03 November 2010

Emirates News Agency (New York) – On November 4^th, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will formally launch the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The fund gives humanitarian, legal, and financial aid to global victims, especially women and children, of human trafficking. The launch will be attended by trafficking victims, the UN Secretary General, UN General Assembly President, UNODC Executive Director, celebrity humanitarians, civil society leaders, academics, international law enforcement officials, and private sector donors in order to bring attention and donations to the fund and human trafficking. The fund is part of the July 30^th UN General Assembly Global Plan of Action Combat Trafficking in Persons and will be managed by the UNODC with advice from a Secretary General appointed Board of Trustees.

Source:

http://www.wam.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1285739403322&pagename=WAM%2FWAM_E_Layout&parent=Query&parentid=1135099399852

(Reliability: 9/10)

UN Praises, Calls For Reform On US Anti-Trafficking Efforts

Najat M'jid Maalla (far right) at September 14, 2009 Vienna meeting on the prevention of human trafficking (Source: OSCE)

29 October 2010 

Scoop Independent News (New York) – Najat M’jid Maalla, UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, praised US efforts in disrupting child trafficking networks and increasing trafficker prosecution but called on reform for victim protection. Maalla maintains the US does not offer alternatives to victims and must resort to prosecuting victims for crimes such as prostitution. Maalla believes US trafficking must be addressed with cultural/community perception strategies, deterring victim demand and coordinating/standardizing studies of trafficking to see its US scope. Maalla calls on communication, media, and transportation companies to join official efforts to curb US import-export of victims. Maalla supports the US National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction while also calling for implementation monitoring.

Source:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1010/S00439/un-calls-for-better-protection-against-trafficking.htm

(Reliability: 7/10)

UNHCR Praises Kenya’s Acceptance Of Refugees Amid Crisis

28 October 2010

Xinhua News Agency (United Nations) – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) praised Kenya’s acceptance and protection of Somali, Sudanese, Congolese, and Ethiopian human trafficking victims and refugees amid the government’s relocation plan for refugees away from overcrowded refugee camps. UNHCR Kenya Assistant Representative in Charge of Protection, Louise Aubin, praised Kenya’s 20 year acceptance of refugees, adherence of international refugee housing standards and protection of refugees from traffickers. However, Kenya faces a housing crisis for refugees as present camps become overcrowded, camp crime grows, and urban resources become overused by urban refugees. Kenya faces two solutions: refugee relocation to new camps, which is opposed by citizens as an unjust land seizure, or increasing the population in overcrowded camps.

Source:

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90855/7180898.html

(Reliability: 9/10)

State of Kenyan Refugee Camps as of December 4, 2008 (Source: Voice of America/You Tube) 

UN Advises On Pakistan Flood Relief To Prevent Trafficking

Map of Flood Impact in Pakistan as of August 15, 2010

27 October 2010

ReliefWeb.com (Geneva) – The UN Committees on the Rights of the Child, the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities advised the Pakistani government and flood relief groups on how to quickly prevent the growth of human trafficking forces among specific citizens in flooded regions. The committees focused on rebuilding medical, communication, housing, education, and labor infrastructure for women and children. The committees maintain that pre-flood levels of poor education and health among women and children in rural areas (mainly the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province), coupled with flood damage, increases trafficking vulnerability for the two groups. The committee also called for equal delivery and prevention of discrimination aid for women, children, and persons with disability to prevent their exploitation from traffickers and other criminals by ensuring stable conditions for these groups.

Source:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/LSGZ-8AMGR4?OpenDocument

(Reliability: 9/10)

UNODC Joins, Supports UAE Anti-Trafficking Workshop

Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, UAE Minister of Education, exchanges notes with Olga Zudova, Senior Legal Adviser, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (Source: Gulf News)

27 October 2010

Gulfnews.com (Abu Dhabi) – The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) joined and supported the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) 3rd annual anti-human trafficking workshop to coordinate and develop the combat plans of Persian Gulf and source nations (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the US). The workshop focuses on developing and coordinating judicial and law enforcement efforts while enhancing prosecution skills of source and Gulf nations through information exchanges. UNODC maintains trafficking information exchanges should be constant and include NGO’s of both regions. UNODC maintains UAE’s rich economy and proximity to South East Asia and Africa make it a future target for incoming trafficking victims. UNODC maintains economically stable nations have high demand for trafficked victims.

Source:

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/international-workshop-on-human-trafficking-opens-1.702268?localLinksEnabled=false

(Reliability: 9/10)

Comment: (Source Reliability: No issues of bias or inaccuracy in source. Information is missing with respect to the plans and information exchanged. Detail about this information (specific areas of focus such as legal infrastructure or  would be useful in establishing a pattern of conferences coordinated or attended by the UN.)

Comment: The very fact that the UNODC exclusively joined this conference gives credibility to the contention that there is no grand coordinated strategy against human trafficking. The fact that this conference deals primarily with the legal aspect of anti-trafficking strategies, as well as the fact that the UNODC deals primarily with legal/law enforcement issues, reinforces the idea that agency jurisdiction priorities shape individual strategies against trafficking. In order to confirm this notion, future developments or a reevaluation of past UN conferences, activities, etc will be needed.

UNIAP Reports On Trafficking In The Mekong Area

(Source: UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations/Cartographic Section)

27 October 2010

Inquirer.net (Bangkok) – The UN Interagency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) reported on the trends and stats on human trafficking in the Mekong area. As reported trafficking is at a low point in the Mekong area, UNIAP found trafficked victims from Russia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, China, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan are mainly trafficked to Thailand to fill roles as sex/labor slaves or to be sent elsewhere. UNIAP found Thailand’s growing economy to be a reason for having the nation act as a transit point and fill demand for sex/labor slaves. Yet, UNIAP maintains no grand visible pattern of trafficking can be found in the Mekong area.

Source:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20101027-300098/Over-15000-people-trafficked-in-Mekong-says-UN-agency

(Reliability: 7/10)

Comment: (Source Reliability: No issues of bias or inaccuracy within the source. The source provides a good explanation of how economic development and forces impact Mekong trafficking trends. However, the source does not list any other possible forces considered by UNIAP. As well, the source does not explain why UNIAP came to the conclusion as to why no clear and stable could be found. This lack of information limits the analysis confidence that economics is a major force on trafficking.)

Comment: One of the predominant forces of human trafficking is economic development, recovery, or decline. Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), maintains that regional, international, and global economic recovery and development through globalization will be one of the major causes and means for trafficking growth and existence. Traffickers will use transportation and communication innovations, created for economic growth, to facilitate their activities. Moreover, the growth for labor or wealth in some regions or nations will increase the demand for victims to fill roles as labor or sex slaves. The report UNIAP report reinforces and confirms the conclusion of Director Fedotov. Subsequently, economics can be confirmed as strong force of human trafficking. However, questions do remain regarding the scale of economics on human trafficking. The source does not state any consideration of alternative forces. The source is vague as to why a clear and stable pattern of trafficking could not be found in the report. As well, the UNIAP report focuses on trafficking on the Mekong area. Thus one can not say with full confidence that economic force is a primary force in either the Mekong area or the world. A wide variety of forces could influence trafficking in the area which may not have been researched or found by UNIAP. The possibility exists that the Mekong area is a microcosm of economics impact on global trafficking. However, an equal possibility exists that economics may be a major force only in the Mekong area. More information is needed to resolve these questions.

Vietnamese Children Bring Attention To Trafficking At UN Forum

26 October 2010

Malaysian National News Agency (Bangkok) – Five Vietnamese children, along with Asian diplomats, talked about the state of child trafficking, prevention, and combat strategies at the third Mekong Youth Forum on Human Trafficking and Migration which is co-sponsored by the UN Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking. Delegates, from Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, focused on combat strategy through exchanges in information, experience, and input from child victims. The children maintain that culturally focused information programs are both effective and demanded by the region’s children. The forum wants to institutionalize the input of child victims in local, national, and regional development of anti-trafficking efforts. The forum’s conclusions will be given to the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking’s meeting.

Source:

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=538445

(Reliability: 8/10)

Comment: (Source Reliability: No issues of bias or inaccuracy in this source. The source does provide a good general explanation of the objectives and focus of the meeting. However, the source does not state examples of the types of strategies and experiences exchanged by diplomats. Thus, a difficulty exists in determining if the exchange of information is based off the September Asia-Pacific conference. Moreover, no motivation is stated by participants for attendance other than the need for improved anti-trafficking tactics. Thus, a difficulty exists in determining if the Asia-Pacific conference motivated attendance by participants to this conference.)


Comment: As stated in the source reliability, it is difficult to determine if the information exchange and the motivation for attendance/organization was a consequence of the September Asia-Pacific conference. However, one can not discount the possibility that the Asia-Pacific conference was not successful in some measure in organizing or providing information for exchange in this conference. One of the recommendations of the Asia-Pacific conference was the inclusion and increase of social education programs for migrants. While this particular conference deals with child trafficking, one of the focuses of the conference was over education on trafficking to children and villages. Thus, the possibility exists that the Asia-Pacific conference was successful at influencing the discussion at this particular conference. However, because of the lack of detail about participants, motivation, and information exchanged, one can not confidently state that the Asia-Pacific conference did or did not motivate the direction of this particular conference.

The State of Child Trafficking in Cambodia (Source: France 24 English News/You Tube-January 12, 2009)

UN Rapporteur Finds Poor Housing For Migrants Has Trafficking Risks

Raquel Rolnik, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing (Source: UN)

24 October 2010

Press Trust (New York City) – UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Raquel Rolnik, reported to the General Assembly that housing discrimination and poor living conditions endured by the world’s 200 million migrants can cause migrants to be vulnerable to violence and human trafficking. Due to economic disparity and/or poor public housing infrastructure, migrants live in homes with little to no utilities, public assistance/planning, or proper construction materials. Rolnik maintains the solution to migrant housing issues requires international human rights law to prevent housing discrimination and ensure proper housing conditions. Moreover, Rolnik maintains migration laws should be less severe in order to prevent migrants from being vulnerable to repeated or future trafficking.

Source:

http://www.presstrust.com/node/607512

(Reliability: 9/10)

Comment: (Source Reliability: No issues of bias or inaccuracy seen in this source. While overall a very informative source, it is missing one key piece of information: where is the problem of housing and trafficking vulnerability the highest?As the source or Ms. Rolnik delivered the information in a global scope, it does not convey where the trouble spots. Rather the statement only proves the global priority for resolving the housing crisis to combat trafficking. Subsequently, it will be difficult to see where the focus of future national or UN action regarding housing will occur.)


Analysis: Ms. Rolnik's belief that poor housing infrastructure is the primary cause of human trafficking adds to the list of different UN officials and agencies that echo the same claim. Other UN agencies and officials believe that infrastructure and its reform is one of the keys to combating the human trafficking activity. However, the primary difference between all of these infrastructure contentions is that all of them focus on different infrastructure areas (housing, law enforcement, legal, humanitarian aid, etc). Moreover, many of these determinations are made by individual or agency assessments of their particular jurisdiction. Subsequently, one must reevaluate the analysis that there is a grand coordinated UN strategy to utilize infrastructure reform as a strategy against human trafficking. 

     As not statements have been made by the General Assembly, as a whole, which states a grand UN infrastructure strategy, one is left with the evidence of jurisdiction and individual assessments for the following conclusion: it is likely that UN anti-trafficking strategies based on infrastructure are based on jurisdiction responsibilities and/or individual assessments. Thus, the appearance of a coordinated effort is merely unintentional and, rather, coincidental. However, future developments will increase the confidence of this conclusion. A present several multi-UN agency coordinated anti-trafficking conferences and workshops give evidence that some level of coordination may exist within the UN and strategy development and implementation. Yet, as one must again consider jurisdiction and individual assessment priorities, one could make the argument that these limited coordination efforts may be the bi-product of these priorities. Thus, more evidence will be needed to elevate the confidence level on this conclusion.