Trafficking: Dunja Mijatovic (Council of Europe), “Europe is not immune” to such phenomenon. War, pandemic, migration, the risk contexts

“We must all keep in mind that Europe is not immune to the trafficking in human beings, and that some groups” of people “are particularly vulnerable to such phenomenon”. This is the warning raised by Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, in a statement the day before the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (July 30th). The risk contexts are three: the “huge internal and external displacement of people, mainly women and children, fleeing the conflict” in Ukraine. The European States must be “particularly vigilant and take all the required preventative measures”. Another risk element is the “detrimental consequences” of the pandemic on people living in poverty: “More and more people will fall prey to trafficking and exploitation of human beings, unless preventative measures are taken to protect and strengthen social rights, especially in education and employment”. And nowadays children “are even more vulnerable to online trafficking and exploitation”. The third risk factor is migration: Mijatović calls the countries of the EU Council to “expand safe and legal migration routes”. As well as “paying tribute to all the victims” tomorrow, the European countries bound to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking and the European Convention on Human Rights must make “full use of such tools to prevent trafficking, protect the victims, and prosecute the offenders”.
Valentina Bombelli