MP Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, Vice-Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), participated, via internet, in the 23rd OSCE Regional Conference on Combating Trafficking in Persons, on 18 and 19 April 2023. The Conference, organized by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator on Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTHB), had as its main theme: "It's about people: Strong National Leadership to End Trafficking in Persons."
During the discussion in the session on "Effective Tools to Combat Trafficking in Persons - Laws and Policies", Mr. Hatzigiannis noted thatthis is a difficult and complex issue. He stressed that each actor must be aware of how it is affected by the trafficking industry, be clearly aware of its responsibilities and how to assume them in practice, so that together we can contribute to the efforts to combat this criminal phenomenon through comprehensive legislation, approaching as much as possible the "whole society".
Hatzigiannis noted that in Cyprus a National Reference Mechanism on trafficking in persons and the protection of victims has been established to promote the human rights of victims of trafficking and to encourage the coordination of strategic partnerships with civil society organizations, the private sector, and other local actors. He also noted the adoption of national legislation that exclusively criminalizes the use or receipt of sexual services in an effort to reduce sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons.
Over the past year, the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration has focused on the situation of Ukrainian refugees, particularly vulnerable categories, by conducting field visits to various OSCE participating States hosting large numbers of refugees. He pointed out that due to the large refugee flows and the limited human and financial resources of the host countries, much more needs to be done to support refugees in the field of prevention and the fight against human trafficking. Hatzigianni also pointed out that the statistics on possible or identified victims of trafficking among the Ukrainian refugee community reported by national authorities do not match those reported by UN agencies and NGOs working on the ground. The Cypriot MP said that this demonstrates inadequate mechanisms for identifying and reporting victims of human trafficking and stressed the need to build strong partnerships and information sharing mechanisms with such non-governmental organisations. Hatzigiannis also said that the work of policymakers is further hampered by the absence of data on the exact number of refugees, their location and their intention to return to Ukraine or move elsewhere, and that this situation is of particular concern in cases of unaccompanied and separated children, as it undermines efforts to establish effective monitoring systems. He expressed the hope that the registration of Ukrainian refugees as beneficiaries of temporary protection could help to address these gaps.
Finally, Mr. Hatzigiannis highlighted the risks arising from the labour exploitation of refugees, particularly in the agricultural and construction sectors, which can exacerbate the phenomenon of trafficking in persons.
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