Seminar for sharing best practices against trafficking in human beings in Nordic countries to be held in Helsinki

Nordic authorities and civil society actors working against trafficking in human beings will meet at a seminar in Helsinki on 18 November 2021. The aim with the seminar is to share information and expertise and thus support the participants in their work for strengthening the anti-trafficking efforts. Registration for the live-streamed parts of the seminar is open until 15 November 2021.

The seminar will discuss human trafficking broadly and the topics are not limited to a specific form of human trafficking, a specific group of victims or a specific part of the process. The focus is on measures already implemented in practice and sharing them with others, which will provide the participants with ideas, information and contacts and thus enable further development of working methods. 

Ways to enhance Nordic cooperation in the anti-trafficking work will also be discussed at the seminar.  The findings and results of the seminar will be utilised in a report on Nordic anti-trafficking cooperation that the Nordic Ministers of Justice agreed on in their meeting in June 2021. 

The Seminar on the Nordic Best Practices against Trafficking in Human Beings is part of Finland’s presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, and it is organised by the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator of Finland.

Welcome to follow the seminar online! 

Parts I and III of the event can be followed online via live streaming. Part I of the seminar at 10.00–12.45 EET will provide an overall picture of the work against trafficking in human beings in different European contexts, including in the European Union and in the Nordic countries.  Part III at 17:10–18:20 EET will present the results of the workshops, greetings from the side events and conclusions of the seminar. Part II consists of workshop sessions, and it is only intended for the invited participants working with prevention and combatting of trafficking in human beings.  

A link to the live stream will be sent to the registered participants by email. Registration for the online event will be open until 15 November 2021 here. A video recording of the seminar will be available to the registered participants until 18 December 2021.

The language of the seminar is English.

Programme

Seminar programme

PART I, Streamed online
Chair: Eva Biaudet, Member of Parliament, Finland

10.00 – 10.20 Opening speeches

• Anna-Maja Henriksson, Minister of Justice of Finland
• Maria Ohisalo, Minister of the Interior of Finland

10.20 – 10.50 Keynote speeches

• Diane Schmitt, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator: EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings
• Itohan Okundaye, Member of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC): What Should Governments Do More to Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings?

10.50 – 12.40 Presentation of best practises against trafficking in human beings in the Nordic countries

• Iceland: Hildur Sunna Pálmadóttir, Ministry of Justice and Alda Hrönn Jóhannsdóttir, Suðurnes police: Creating the New Icelandic National Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings – How Human Trafficking Became a Political Priority and What Are the Successes?
• Finland: Kristina Stenman, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman: The National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings – How Independent Reporting Mechanism Strengthens the Work against Trafficking in Human Beings?
• Sweden: Mats Paulsson, Gender Equality Authority: The National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking

12.40 – 12.45 closing remarks for Part I
Eva Biaudet, Member of Parliament, Finland

PART II
13.45 – 17.00 Parallel workshops on Best Practices for participants present in Helsinki

PART III, Streamed online

17.10 – 18.10 Conclusions

• Presentations of the workshop results
• Greetings from the side events

18.10 – 18.20 Closing remarks

• Venla Roth, Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator of Finland
  Future and Next Steps of Closer Nordic Cooperation on Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Human Beings

More information about the seminar:
Ilona Sekiguchi, Project Coordinator, tel. +358 29 515 0201, [email protected] 
Venla Roth, Government Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, tel. +358 29 515 0011, [email protected]