Faites un don

Shop

Showing all 2 results

Conference: Sexual Trafficking – From Armed Conflict Zones to Exploitation in the Destination Country via Migration Routes
Conference: Sexual Trafficking – From Armed Conflict Zones to Exploitation in the Destination Country via Migration Routes

SEXUAL TRAFFICKING: FROM ARMED CONFLICT ZONES TO EXPLOITATION IN THE DESTINATION COUNTRY VIA MIGRATION ROUTES

11 May 2023 – Brussels

The Samilia Foundation (Belgium) and Stand Speak Rise Up! (Luxembourg) organized a conference on 11 May 2023 in Brussels on the theme: “Sexual trafficking: from armed conflict zones to exploitation in the destination country via migration routes.” Two topics were addressed during this afternoon of study:

  • Sexual violence against women during armed conflicts

  • Sexual trafficking

These topics are not so distant from each other, given that, on the one hand, this type of crime is gendered and, on the other hand, sexual violence committed in the context of armed conflicts may be only the starting point of a situation of human trafficking.

The first part of the conference addressed sexual violence against women in armed conflict contexts. These acts are not necessarily human trafficking but constitute war crimes under both international and national standards. The example of Eastern Sahara shed light on this crime and demonstrated that such violence can be considered a push factor leading women to migrate to countries where they believe they will be safe.

Children born of these wartime rapes were given particular focus through a legal and sociological approach. This analysis can also be applied to the situation of children born from sexual trafficking, since the psychological trauma experienced by the victim is similar and may lead to rejection of the unborn child.

Wars are also push factors that force people into migration. They drive those fleeing them onto human trafficking routes, which are also places where sexual violence occurs. The approach proposed for this part was both legal/factual and journalistic, with a synthetic presentation of reports carried out in situ by a senior reporter specializing in human trafficking.

Trafficking routes often lead women to sexual exploitation in the destination country. The last two presentations therefore focused on human trafficking— the third most profitable crime in the world—specifically for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The first presentation developed the notion of sexual trafficking within the meaning of international and regional conventions. The second analyzed the obligations of States to prosecute and try perpetrators, arising both from anti-trafficking legal instruments and from those of international criminal law, including international humanitarian law.

International Conferenc: NY 65 years later
International Conferenc: NY 65 years later

International Conference in Brussels (30/09/2013) / 2013

Message from Joëlle Milquet, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, Minister of the Interior and Equal Opportunities, and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister for Women’s Rights, spokesperson for the French government.
The United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others is turning 65. To mark this anniversary, we wanted to organize an international conference in Brussels that will bring together all the European countries that have signed or ratified the New York Convention. This Convention is of particular importance because it remains the only specific international instrument on the issue of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of the exploitation of the prostitution of others. Given the scale of human trafficking and the exploitation of prostitution, we wanted to frame the discussion within a gender and human rights perspective. This international conference, organized in partnership with the Samilia Foundation, will assess the situation within the European Union. It will also address broader themes such as the hypersexualization of our society and emerging phenomena like child prostitution and new means of communication. The Conference will be followed by a ministerial roundtable in which Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium will participate. We wished to invite the ministers of the European countries that have signed or ratified the New York Convention to present best practices and particularly compelling experiences that can change the image of prostitution and reduce demand. These discussions will focus, in particular, on the link between prostitution and the development of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, as well as on prostitution as a form of violence against women and the fight against child prostitution. This Conference and the ministerial roundtable will provide a unique opportunity to take stock of the policies implemented to combat human trafficking and the exploitation of prostitution. This dual event will be an opportunity to reiterate the objectives of the New York Convention and to re-engage the signatory and party States. Finally, it will allow for particularly useful consultation in order to move towards a common strategy in these areas, which is more necessary than ever.