Ministry of the Interior to organise an EU seminar on the identification of chil
The Ministry of the Interior will organise an EU seminar on the identification of children at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking in Helsinki from 31 October to 1 November. The seminar is part of the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Trafficking in Human Beings. The fight against human trafficking is one of the key priorities for justice and home affairs during Finland's EU Presidency. The outcome of the seminar will be made use of, for example at the December Justice and Home Affairs Council which will discuss the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Trafficking in Human Beings and the need for updating it.
Different forms of child exploitation are widely spread all over the world: children are used as labour, they may become victims of sex trade and organ trafficking, and children are sent in good faith to travel with traffickers without definite information on their destination.
The authorities should be well-trained with thorough knowledge of human trafficking to be able to recognise child victims. The authorities should also prevent children from becoming victims already in countries of origin by informing people about the dangers of trafficking. At the external borders of countries of transit and destination, the first signs of human trafficking often appear when false travel documents are detected.
This human trafficking seminar, which is targeted at the authorities and non-governmental organisations in EU countries, will be opened by Finnish Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamäki on Tuesday, 31 October at 14.00.
On Tuesday, a number of presentations will be given with the help of which the "lifespan" of child victims is followed, starting from recruitment to the prevention of victimisation. Kristiina Kangaspunta, the Chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), will give an introduction at the seminar which is based on a true story about a child victim's journey. On the basis of various introductions, discussion will be held on the role of NGOs in identifying and helping human trafficking victims, and on cooperation between law enforcement authorities. On Wednesday, working groups will share the authorities' and NGOs' best practices and experience in identifying child victims. The aim is to find the best practices for identifying child victims as early as possible during the different phases of their journey.
Many of the speakers at the seminar have practical experience in combating human trafficking. On Wednesday, 1 November the seminar participants will hear about the experience of FBI specialist Kimberly L. Poyer, who has studied human trafficking, and Head of Legal Services at the UK Human Trafficking Centre Glynn Rank, who has prosecuted cases of human trafficking.
The two-day seminar will end with closing remarks by the Finnish Ministry of the Interior's Permanent Secretary Ritva Viljanen acting as Chair of the seminar.
For further information, please contact Johanna Puiro, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 9 160 42265, or Kaija Uusisilta, Head of Press and Communications Services, tel. +358 9 160 42949.