PRESS STATEMENT

Sarajevo, July 30^th 2015.

On World Day against Trafficking in Persons, IOM calls for renewed commitment against exploitation and trafficking

Citing a new study, “Addressing Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Times of Crisis”, William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration, called the exploitation and trafficking of victims a growing phenomenon in a world awash in conflict and natural disasters. 

“Trafficking in persons not only flourishes during a disaster, it is a direct result of disasters, every bit as much as the  infrastructural damages, the loss of life or the food shortages which garner far more attention,” said Ambassador Swing.

He added: “In all three categories of disaster – conflict zones, natural calamities, or man-made disasters – we found that the lack of normalcy allowed traffickers to exploit existing or crisis-induced vulnerabilities. In conflict, the lack of rule of law creates a condition of impunity, where people are trafficked to finance war, to provide sexual services, and to reinforce enslavement of ethnic minorities.”

Ambassador Swing cited a growing trafficking crisis in Libya and countries across the Middle East, where migrant workers are facing increasingly hostile and abusive working conditions. He warned that the on-going conflict in Syria has forced many families and individuals to adopt harmful coping mechanisms such as forced early marriages and child labour, often resulting in exploitation and trafficking.

Out of millions of men, women and children trafficked each year around the world, only approximately 45,000 victims are identified. IOM assists one in seven of those cases, and helps victims return to normal lives often after years of appalling abuse and cruelty. Such persons need understanding and help, often long-term, in times of stability as much as in times of crisis.

The issue of trafficking in persons has been present in the Western Balkan region for years and it has constantly developed in terms of trends and forms (for instance child begging and trafficking for labour exploitation have lately increased). Moreover, the region is affected by a secondary flow of irregular migrants originated from third regions and countries in crisis and conflict; irregular migrants within the dangerous migratory corridors can quickly be found by traffickers and duped into slavery.

IOM is committed to working with the relevant stakeholders and actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside those in the other Western Balkan countries, to enhance and strengthen their capacities to prevent and counter trafficking in human beings in a prism of cooperation and joint efforts.

------------------

Contact persons:

• Andrea Dabizzi, Project Manager - International Organization for Migration – Mission in BiH

Tel: +387 (0)33 293 709 Fax: +387 (0)33 293 726 Mob: +87 (0)61 172 515

• Edita Selimbegović, PR - International Organization for Migration – Mission in BiH

Tel: +387 (0)33 293 731 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting Fax: +387 (0)33 567 229 Mob: +387 (0)61 215 839

IZJAVA ZA MEDIJE

Sarajevo, 30. juli 2015. godine

Povodom Svjetskog dana borbe protiv trgovine ljudima, IOM poziva na obnavljanje obaveze borbe protiv eksploatacije i trgovine ljudima

Citirajući novu studiju, “Adresiranje trgovine ljudima i eksploatacije u vrijeme kriza”, William Lacy Swing, Generalni direktor Međunarodne organizacije za migracije, nazvao je eksploataciju i trgovinu žtrvama sve češćim fenomenom u svijetu preplavljenom sukobima i prirodnim katastrofama. 

“Trgovina ljudima ne samo da je u porastu tokom katastrofe, već je i direktni rezultat katastrofa jednako kao i infrastrukturne štete, gubitak života ili nestašica hrane koje privlače mnogo više pažnje,” izjavio je Ambasador Swing.

Ambasador je dodao: “U sve tri kategorije katastrofa  – zone sukoba, prirodne nesreće i katastrofe uzrokovane ljudskom rukom, otkrili smo da  vanredne situacije omogućuju trgovateljima da iskorištavaju postojeće ili katastrofom uzrokovane nestabilnosti. Nedostatak vladavine prava za vrijeme sukoba dovodi do nekažnjivosti, gdje se trguje ljudima u svrhe finansiranja rata, pružanja seksualnih usluga i osnaživanja porobljavanja etničkih manjina.”

Ambasador Swing je naveo da trgovina ljudima raste u Libiji i zemljama Bliskog Istoka gdje se radnici migranti suočavaju sa rastućim neprijateljskim i  iskorištavajućim uvjetima rada. Upozorio je da trenutni sukob u Siriji prisiljava mnoge porodice i pojedince na usvajanje štetnih načina ponašanja poput prisilnih ranih brakova i rada djece, što često dovodi do eksploatacije i trgovine ljudima.

Među milionima muškaraca, žena  i djece koji su svake godine predmet trgovine ljudima širom svijeta, približno samo 45,000 žrtava bude identificirano. IOM asistira u jednom od sedam takvih slučajeva i pomaže žrtvama da se nakon godina užasnog zlostavljanja vrate u normalan život. Takve osobe često zahtjevaju dugotrajno razumijevanje i pomoć, kako u doba mira, tako i tokom krize.

Problematika trgovanja ljudima prisutna je na regiji Zapadnog Balkana već godinama i konstantno se razvija u pogledu trendova i oblika (naprimjer, prosječenje od strane djece te trgovina s ciljem radne eksploatacije su u posljednje vrijeme porasli). Štaviše, region je pogođen sekundarnim tokom nezakonitih migranata porijeklom iz trećih regija i zemalja u krizi i sukobu; pojavom nezakonitih migranata u okviru opasnih migracionih koridora koji mogu biti lako pronađeni od strane trgovaca i navedeni na prinudni rad.

IOM je posvećen radu sa relevantnim sudionicima i akterima u Bosni I Hercegovini, kao i sa onima iz drugih zemalja Zapadnog Balkana, s ciljem poboljšanja i jačanja njihovih kapaciteta za sprječavanje i protivljenje trgovini ljudima kroz prizmu saradnje i zajedničkih napora.

------------------

Kontakt osobe:

• Andrea Dabizzi, Projekt Manager – Međunarodna organizacija za migracije – Misija u  BiH

Tel: +387 (0)33 293 709 Fax: +387 (0)33 293 726 Mob: +87 (0)61 172 515

• Edita Selimbegović, PR – Međunarodna organizacija za migracije – Misija u BiH

Tel: +387 (0)33 293 713 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting Fax: +387 (0)33 567 229 Mob: +387 (0)61 215 839 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting