Vienna conference to address measures to combat child trafficking

Press release 175/2008
23 May, 2008

Eva Biaudet, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, will convene international organizations involved in combat against trafficking in human beings and the OSCE participating states to a high-level conference in Vienna on 26-27 May. The conference will address measures and challenges of combating human trafficking in children at a local level. Astrid Thors, Minister of Migration and European Affairs, will represent Finland in the conference.

The conference will handle the best practices and experiences for prevention of trafficking in children at a local level. It also aims to promote cooperation between local actors in the countries of origin and destination countries of human trafficking.

The OSCE has an Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, approved in 2003, which has been later supplemented as concerns combating child trafficking in 2005. Eva Biaudet from Finland has been acting as OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings since October 2006.

As the holder of the OSCE Chairmanship Finland emphasizes the measures related to prevention of human trafficking and the identification of the children victims. Finland underlines the implementation of existing commitments during its chairmanship.

Additional information: Special Adviser to Minister Thors Thomas Bergman, tel. +358 9 1604 4510, First Secretary Sini Paukkunen, Unit for Human Rights Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 5323, Second Secretary Ann-Mari Fröberg, Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force, tel. 0358 9 1605 5493.