In cooperation with the Human Rights’ Directorate under the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality (MHSR) of Malta, the Malta Police Force, and the Office of the Attorney General, the Council of Europe organised a fact-finding mission on 27- 28 February 2023 in Malta dedicated to the identification of victims of trafficking in human beings (THB), the capacity of the police to investigate cases of THB, and the current state of play of their prosecution. The objective was to discuss the recommendations made in this area by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) in its third monitoring report on Malta and to identify expected progress, remaining challenges and potential solutions in view of the preparation of the new National Anti-trafficking Strategy.
Meetings were held with Emmanuel Psaila, Permanent Secretary of the MHSR and chair of the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Committee of Malta, Commissioner Sir Angelo Gafa and other representatives of the Malta Police Force. The visit also included tactical exchanges with senior inspectors from the Vice Squad, and representatives of the community police, the Police Statistics Department and the Central Intelligence Unit. In addition, meetings were held with the Attorney General, Victoria Buttigieg, labour inspectors from JobsPlus, and two lawyers working on human trafficking cases.
The necessity to build evidence to establish a case of THB was addressed throughout the various meetings, including with the Financial Intelligence Unit which tackles potential THB cases in its financial analysis carried out on cases of money laundering primarily. The role of civil society organisations in detecting cases of THB was discussed during a roundtable to understand existing mechanisms for collecting evidence at their level while protecting victims in collaboration with the police. This important issue was also raised with the new Victims Support Agency and the Victim Support Unit which operates under MHSR.
Building on these exchanges, the Council of Europe will prepare a draft assessment report on the current situation of investigating and prosecuting cases of THB in Malta with indications of existing gaps and needs as well as opportunities for improvements which may be used in the future anti-trafficking Strategy. This draft report will be presented and discussed in a second round of consultations in the course of April 2023.
This activity was carried out in the framework of the Project “Supporting Malta in the design and implementation of a new anti-trafficking strategy”, which aims to contribute to the ongoing policy reform for combating trafficking in human beings in Malta. The project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission.
