Media Key Actor in Fight Against Human Trafficking
24 October 2007 - The UN.GIFT regional event in Vilnius will emphasize the media's role in preventing modern slavery and encourage other groups, namely the business community and educational institutions, to join efforts in creating a safer environment for men, women and children in their countries.
"The challenge of the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking is to make it real - and not just utter political words," noted Eva Biaudet, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.
"At this conference, we will do our utmost to engage many other stakeholders to make visible the reality of human trafficking - to give a clear signal that it is serious and that we are working together to end this horrible, cruel and criminal exploitation of people," she added.
The conference "Preventing Trafficking in Human Beings: Challenges and Solutions" takes place in Vilnius on October 25-26 and is jointly organised by the Government of Lithuania, OSCE and UNODC within the framework of the Global Initiative to Combat Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).
It will focus on the prevention of human trafficking, and the challenges and solutions that can be achieved through regional co-operation. It will raise issues beyond those traditionally discussed in the Baltic region to promote co-operation among the main countries of origin, transit and destination in combating trafficking in human beings.
Particular emphasis will be put on the media's role in preventing modern slavery, at the same time encouraging other non-traditional stakeholders - the business community and educational institutions - to join efforts to create a better and safer social environment for men, women and children.
Conference participants will discuss, among other issues, the difficulties and ethical considerations of the media when reporting and investigating human trafficking cases. Journalists from Cyprus, France and Great Britain who have conducted groundbreaking investigations into human trafficking cases will present their work, giving participants the opportunity to analyse the latest findings from investigative human trafficking reporting.
High-level governmental officials and national experts, journalists and editors, professors and researchers, as well as private sector representatives are invited to share their experiences and visions of the most effective solutions to the challenges of prevention. Representation from a broad range of OSCE participating States (especially from the Baltic and Nordic regions, and neighbouring countries), OSCE Partners for Co-operation and non-governmental organizations promises a successful outcome.
The event provides a forum to exchange best practice, discuss existing gaps and help elaborate common strategies among countries linked together as areas of origin and destination for human trafficking victims.