On 26 and 27 October 2023, the Anti-Trafficking Division of the Council of Europe organised in Strasbourg a meeting of the network of specialised lawyers and NGOs providing legal assistance to victims of human trafficking. The event brought together more than 40 participants from 23 states parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
On the first day, the meeting opened with a session on combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation, including a presentation of the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers CM/Rec(2022)21 and case-law from several countries, highlighting difficulties in ensuring the rights of victims and the prosecution of legal entities. Participants also heard about developments in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights related to human trafficking. The day concluded with a session on the application of the non-punishment provision to victims of human trafficking.
The second day started with a session on the linkages between trafficking in human beings and information and communication technology, including a presentation of GRETA’s report on this issue and reflections on how technology may be used to prevent trafficking and assist victims. A further session on victims’ access to compensation focused on the cross-border execution of civil decisions regarding damages and difficulties related to the compensation of victims of trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. Participants set up three working groups to discuss issues related to the protection of victims and witnesses of human trafficking, the role of lawyers and NGOs in victim identification, and combating trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
Members of the network agreed to contribute to the database of domestic case-law on human trafficking, a new project launched by the Council of Europe to supplement the HUDOC-GRETA database which contains all reports prepared by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).
More information about the Network
The Council of Europe Network of specialised Lawyers and NGOs providing legal assistance to victims of trafficking was launched in 2016.
