Improving the identification and protection of victims of human trafficking was at the heart of the discussions led by the Council of Europe in six roundtables held in Malta on 12-15 June 2023 as part of the project “Supporting Malta in the design and implementation of a new anti-trafficking strategy”. This priority issue stands as a common thread of the preliminary draft assessment reports on ‘prevention’, ‘protection’ and ‘prosecution and investigations’ prepared by the Council of Europe and the experts engaged to work on the project (Kamelia Dimitrova, Colin Carswell and Bernie Gravett).
Representatives of ministries, social services, the national statistics office, labour inspectors, prosecutors, law enforcement, civil society organisations, trade unions and international organisations agreed on several strategic priorities to improve measures to prevent human trafficking and protect victims. Particular attention was given to the need to update the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for both adults and children.
The priority actions to improve the investigation and prosecution of cases of human trafficking were discussed in roundtables with the Malta Police Force and the Office of the Attorney General, using the opportunity of the current reform of the latter.
Moreover, a roundtable organised with NGOs involved in assisting victims of human trafficking highlighted the need to improve the reporting and recording of cases of human trafficking within the updated NRM.
Finally, a meeting between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Reforms, and court services led to the establishment of a Working Group that would address recommendations made by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) in its third report on Malta.
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.
