The Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the State Ministry of Social Welfare signed today a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Police and Social Welfare Services for the referral, handling, protection and information of potential and identified victims of trafficking in persons.
The Memorandum is particularly important in the Government's efforts to effectively combat trafficking in persons and protect victims.
The Police and Social Welfare Services play a key role in protecting potential and identified victims. The Memorandum signed today systematises and promotes cooperation between the two services. It also strengthens the framework for the protection and support of victims, the vast majority of whom are women.
The Memorandum clearly defines the responsibilities and obligations of the two services with regard to referral and information for victims of trafficking in persons. It lists in a systematic way the actions that the competent services should take to identify, assess, empower and support victims in a safe and trusting environment, both during the victim identification process and during the adjudication period of a trafficking case, up to and including the return of victims to their countries of origin. The Memorandum also includes specific provisions for the treatment of child victims of trafficking.
By signing the Memorandum, we are also sending a strong message of zero tolerance for a serious form of crime such as trafficking in persons. Recently we have intensified and systematized the efforts made and as a result in the last six months we have 4 convictions under the strict anti-trafficking legislation.
This development is not only positive but also very encouraging. This is because the imposition of severe penalties on the basis of the existing strict anti-trafficking legislation acts as a deterrent to the commission of similar offences by other persons.
But in addition to preventing and combating trafficking in persons, it is necessary to address the equally important issue of support and protection of victims and the implementation of this Memorandum will make a major contribution in this direction.
The Government's constant and unwavering goal is to continue the fight to combat trafficking, this extreme form of exploitation and instrumentalisation of victims that violates fundamental human rights, values and our culture.
(MKY/EX/IK)
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