Speeking notes from an intervention made at the OSCE/ODIHR annual meeting in Warsaw on the 27th September 2005-09-27 by Kirsti Kolthoff

Good morning. I am here from the OSCE NGO-network in Sweden with members from many important NGO:s in Sweden. I also have the hat as the President of the European Women´s Lobby and I wish to carry the voices of many women to your attention in relation to the issue of trafficking. The EWL brings together some 4000 womens organisations from 25 OSCE countries of whish 23 also are members of the EU as well as international women’s organisations with members in most of the OSCE countries. We work in cooperation with many countries within the OSCE. One of the projects the EWL conduct at present is a joint project on trafficking in women for sexual purposes. We work with the Coalition against trafficking in women, which is US based. Next year we may give a report about this project.

The EWL welcomes very much the work that the OSCE is doing in relation to trafficking in human beings! We think it important to look at the scope of the horrendous market of trafficking in human beings and take every measure possible to protect women´s human rights in this context. Given that a very big increase of cases of trafficking concern women being trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation in a growing industry, it is important to stress the necessity of looking at trafficking in women as a criminal activity made possible mainly by the underlying unequal power relationship between women and men. The view of the EWL is that trafficking in women and girls as well as prostitution are expressesions of the prevailing domination of men over women.

There are many relevant conventions I could mention to remind of commitments made by States – one is the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (1979). Others I am sure are well known to most of you.

Strategies aiming at preventing trafficking should address the root causes of trafficking: the persistence of gender inequalities and the feminisation of poverty and the consequent limitations in life choices for women, but also in the expansion of the demand, especially in the sex industry of the receiving countries many of which belong to the EU. Therefore, trafficking in women and girls cannot be disassociated from the issue of prostitution and vice versa.  

In order for any trafficking prevention strategies to be effective, policy-makers must be prepared to take a stand against the sexual exploitation of women, including prostitution, and tackle the demand side of the industry, i.e. the clients of sexual services. I welcome looking at new methods used of  traffickors as mentions by Madame chair in the introduction.

Women victims of trafficking also has special needs that has to be considered and they should have access to all services available and to effective protection and means to get ready for a decent job. They should be granted resident permits in the country of destination, on the basis that their basic fundamental rights have been violated.

I am aware of that Madame chair mentioned the very important work already being done in the OSCE. The EWL hopes to increase the efforts considering what being said and that resources will be put into this work.

Tank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.
Kirsti Kolthoff/OSCE/ODIHR, Warszawa,
27th September, 2005