Joint fight against new trends in human trafficking in Baltic Sea region calls for better information exchange

Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Photo: Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.org Photo: Karin Beate Nøsterud/norden.org

Experts from the Nordic countries, Baltic States and North-West Russia will attend a conference organised by the Nordic-Baltic Network of Policewomen and the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia in late May in Tallinn. The conference will focus on new trends in the fight against trafficking in human beings and investigate how to identify victims and criminals. The conference is being supported by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.

Although most cases of trafficking in human beings in the Nordic countries, Baltic States and North-West Russia to date have concerned the sexual exploitation of women and girls, there are developments in Europe that refer to new trends. An increasing number of people are being exploited in agriculture or construction, forced to beg and steal, sell their organs and more.

The expert conference 'Identification of Victims and Criminals – Why Do We Not Notice Them?' will also conclude the year-long cooperation project 'Combating Trafficking in Human Beings for Forced Labour, Children and Sexual Exploitation'.

The project covered all of the Nordic countries, Baltic States and North-West Russia. Officials and experts went on study trips and learned about the achievements and success stories of authorities in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Estonia in combating trafficking in human beings.

"The study trips broaden the cooperation horizons of law enforcement agencies, give them the chance to learn more about the structure and functioning of internal security in different states, and the main thing is the chance to make new acquaintances," said Andres Väliste, Senior Investigator at the Division of Organised and Serious Crime, Crime Bureau, North Prefecture, Police and Border Guard Board. "Previously, these people were just names on contact lists and voices on the phone, but now they can meet each other face to face. This creates more trust between people and speeds up cross-border information exchange."

The goal of the final conference of the project is to create a joint platform for exchanging information about trafficking in human beings for the Nordic countries, Baltic States and North-West Russia.

Please call Merle Kuusk on +372 627 3105 or send her an e-mail at merle.kuusk@norden.ee if you have any questions about the conference or the project. The programme for and introduction to the event can be found here.


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