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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
The
Fourth Meeting of National Authorities of the Americas on Trafficking
in persons, convened by the Organization of American States (OAS),
concluded today in Brazil with the approval of the “Declaration of
Brasilia,” which calls on all member countries to redouble their efforts
to combat this scourge that affects 1.8 million people in the
Hemisphere, and with the adoption of a Work Plan for the 2015-2018
period.
The “Inter-American Declaration to Address Trafficking in Persons,” or “Declaration of Brasilia”
condemns “trafficking in persons in all its forms in the Hemisphere as a
criminal offense that violates human rights and, in particular,
impinges on the liberty, physical integrity, health, and dignity of its
victims and their families, and harms the most vulnerable sectors of our
societies.”
The document, which contains 15 points, also highlights the need
to “prevent trafficking in persons by designing, improving, and
implementing public policies that address social, economic, cultural,
security, and migration-related variables that adversely affect women,
minors and, indeed, all vulnerable sectors of society.”
During the two day meeting, the 34 member states of the OAS also
approved the “Second Work Plan to combat the trafficking of persons in
the Western Hemisphere” 2015-2018, which includes among its main
objectives the promotion of the “full implementation of the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children, as well as other relevant
international instruments that address the trafficking of persons.” The
contents of the Work Plan, which was produced based on the conclusions
and recommendations of the three previous meetings of national
authorities (held in Venezuela, Argentina and Guatemala,
divide the suggested activities between the member states and deliver
mandates to the OAS General Secretariat in the areas of prevention,
protection of victims of trafficking and penal action against criminals.
The approved document establishes that “the extent to which member
states implement part or all of this work plan is at the discretion of
each member state, in accordance with its legal system.”
Today, in his address to the final day of the meeting, the head of
the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security of the OAS, Adam
Blackwell, said that according to the International Labour Organization
(ILO) in the Americas there are 1.8 million victims of forced labor,
which represents nine percent of the global total. Ambassador Blackwell
said that 83 percent of the member countries of the OAS have specific
laws against trafficking of persons, and added that trafficking does not
only consist of sexual exploitation, but that many items of legislation
contemplate other manifestations of trafficking such as labor
exploitation, organ extraction, domestic servitude, forced marriages,
and the illegal adoption of children for exploitation.
For her part, the Director of the OAS Department of Public
Security, Paulina Duarte, highlighted that one of the most important
achievements of the second Work Plan approved is the creation of
indicators that allow for measurement. “There are more advanced
countries, like Brazil, that have a transversal national plan, that
involves civil society” and includes specific data, she said.
“Nevertheless, any number related to this issue remains somewhat
nebulous,” noted Duarte, who presented the report of the OAS General
Secretariat on its most recent activities related to this area.
For his part, Paul Abram, the National Secretary for Justice of
Brazil, who presided over the meeting held at Itamaraty Palace,
headquarters of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, said the fight against
trafficking should take into account the association of criminal groups
with the private sector, at the same time that there should be “a
commitment not to deport the victims and a recognition of the need to
avoid building restrictive migratory policies.”
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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