The fight against human trafficking and supporting the victims
The European Union has highlighted the partnership between the Nordic countries and the Baltic States in their fight against human trafficking as an excellent example of regional cooperation. In the early 2000s all eight countries in the region launched a wide-ranging campaign against trafficking in and violence towards women.
The Baltic States also represent a gateway for the Nordic countries to cooperation with North-Western Russia. As part of this cooperation the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia has organised a number of international expert conferences, seminars and roundtables on combating trafficking in human beings for forced labour, children and sexual exploitation. The aim of the events has been to establish a common platform for exchange of Nordic, Baltic and North-West Russian information on trafficking in human beings. The cooperation and networking of experts, decision-makers and politicians establishes the contacts they need in their daily work.
In the end of 2013 the Nordic Council of Ministers decided to continue substancial efforts in fight against human trafficking and pointed the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia as responsible for the project. The new project is entitled 'Nordic – Baltic – North–West Russian Border Regional Cooperation Part II, Combating Trafficking in Human Beings for Forced Labour, Children and Sexual Exploitation' and the objective is to increase the awareness and competence of the participants and to reinforce the network of specialists working in the field.
The project also covers four events. The first knowledge forum focussed on the recruitment and identification of victims, the second on legal proceedings and the third on the social consequences of human trafficking and the last one on identification of victims.
In 2015 the Nordic Council of Ministers decided to launch a new three-year Programme (2015-2018) designed to combat human trafficking with the aim to implement tangible initiatives in Baltic Sea region to prevent trafficking, to prosecute traffickers and to protect and help victims. The programme consists of specific initiatives involving specialists and professionals from the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries and North-West Russia, allowing them to work more closely together, build anti-trafficking networks, create platforms for the exchange of experience and information and publicize and implement guidelines designed to improve anti-trafficking work.
In Lithuania, there have been worked out recommendations on the identification of victims of human trafficking, pre-trial investigation and interinstitutional cooperation.
Visit our image gallery to view pictures from the events.
articles on fight against trafficking in human beings
- Summary of the expert forum on the protection of the victims of human trafficking, Tallinn 2017
- Summary of the conference on human traffickin (Tallinn 2016)
- Report. Addressing Human Trafficking in the Baltic Sea: Nordic-Baltic Partnership with Passenger Ferry Companies to Counter Trafficking in Human Beings, Smuggling of Migrants and Exploitation of Migrant Workers in the Baltic Sea Region
- Report: Exchange of Information in Cases of Trafficking in Human Beings
- Nordic initiative to combat human trafficking
- Solutions and recommendations to identify victims and combat trafficking in human beings in the Nordic-Baltic region
- Summary of knowledge forum III on the identification of victims of human trafficking, 2015: Investigation procedures of human trafficking cases in Lithuania inspire colleagues in Nordic countries and Baltic States
- Summary of knowledge forum II on the social consequences of human trafficking, 2014: Victims of human trafficking need years of rehabilitation
- Norden.org: Nordic-Baltic cooperation focus on the victims of human trafficking
- Norden.org: Need for greater knowledge about the social consequences of trafficking
- Summary of expert forum on THB and legal proceedings, 2014: Four problems in fighting human trafficking
- Summary of knowledge forum I on the recruitment and identification of victims of human trafficking, 2014: Anti-trafficking specialists: we need a long-term strategic information campaign
- Norden.org: New initiative against trafficking
- Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers Dagfinn Høybråten (in Norwegian): To the fight against slavery of modern days
- Summary of conference 2013: Trafficking in human beings: identification of victims and criminals, challenges and new trends
- Newsportal uudised.err.ee (in Estonian): Raigo Haabu: Estonia is in top 10 in number of THB victims in Europe
