2022 04 06

Watch the Child10 and CBSS side-event at OSCE-conference live today!

Today, Child10 and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is hosting an event on ensuring a child rights-based approach in identifying victims and providing access to services and justice for child victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. The event is a side-event to the 22nd Conference of the Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons organized by the OSCE.

– We believe it is important to ensure that children are specifically considered in processes of identification and services to victims of human trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Child victims are in a special vulnerable position and need to be adapted to on all levels from use of language to programming. Therefore, we are happy to host this event together with CBSS where we get to focus on needs to ensure a system that is based on the rights of the child, says Jacob Flärdh, Secretary General, Child10. 

Recent studies show an alarming increase in trafficking and sexual exploitation of children and perpetrators are constantly finding new ways of exploiting them. One of the fastest growing arenas for trafficking and sexual exploitation of children is the internet. Technology is increasingly being misused by human traffickers during all the stages of the crime, including recruitment, control, and exploitation of victims. 

Technology facilitated trafficking of children poses new challenges both in terms of identification of victims and consequently also their access to services and justice. This is in part because of legal definitions of human trafficking that can be an obstacle for applying the official human trafficking framework to victims when the trafficking occur online. This amplifies the need for strengthening the international collaboration between frontline officers, social workers and civil society organizations as well as clarifying the role and responsibilities of internet service providers.

-An event like this is important for implemmentation of  a child rights based approach in identification and support services for child victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. By gathering representatives from different parts and levels of society we can discuss how we best can cooperate to ensure children have the adapted support they need and are entitled to. Therefore, we are honored to have such a strong line of speakers participating in today’s event, says Jacob Flärdh. 

The event is taking place online today at 11 am CET and participating are a number of key policymakers and influential stakeholders including:

–Valiant Richey, Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, OSCE
–Morgane Nicot, Team Leader, Knowledge Development and Innovation Team, UNODC
–Diane Schmitt, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, EU Commission
–Anna Ekstedt, Swedish Ambassador-at-large for Combating Trafficking in Persons
–Edi Mujaj, Senior Adviser Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings, CBSS
–Nadine Finch, Child Circle
–Tomislav Ramljak, Executive Director, Center for Missing and Exploited Children
–Gabriella Kärnekull Wolfe, Swedish Ombudsman against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Watch the event here.