Councillor Rita Theodorou Superman, member of the Cypriot delegation to the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (MPA), participates online, representing the Assembly at the 31st Annual Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) of the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC), which is being held in Vienna, hybrid, between 16 and 20 May 2022.
The topics addressed at the Summit, during its first day of work yesterday, were improving the legal framework for the use of digital evidence in the fight against cybercrime, strengthening international cooperation in the fight against trafficking in persons, combating terrorism, arms and drug trafficking, as well as environmental crimes and crimes against cultural property.
In her intervention, Ms Superman referred to the important work of the CMC in the fight against international organised crime and the further harmonisation of relevant national legislation.
Based on her experience as Head of the Cyprus Anti-Trafficking Office and Member of the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), Ms Superman highlighted the need for States to strengthen law enforcement authorities and the criminal justice system in line with the changing environment. This becomes imperative, the Cypriot Councillor stressed, so that criminal proceedings are more effective and higher conviction rates are achieved against traffickers and those who profit from trafficking in persons and against the victims of this crime. Finally, Ms Superman stressed the importance of effective prevention, paying particular attention to the need to address the root causes that make people more vulnerable and fuel exploitation and trafficking, such as poverty, gender inequality, violence against women, discrimination on the basis of ethnic differences, social marginalisation and irregular migration.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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