{"id":32216,"date":"2017-09-28T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-28T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=32216"},"modified":"2018-04-22T11:50:11","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T15:50:11","slug":"time-to-stamp-out-human-trafficking-says-guterres-un-pledges-action-to-eradicate-heinous-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2017\/09\/time-to-stamp-out-human-trafficking-says-guterres-un-pledges-action-to-eradicate-heinous-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Time to stamp out human trafficking,\u2019 says Guterres; Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ pledges action to eradicate \u2018heinous crime\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

With tens of millions of human trafficking victims worldwide, \u201cnow is the time to stand together and stamp out this abominable practice,\u201d\u00a0Secretary-General<\/a>Ant\u00f3nio Guterres today told a high-level meeting at which Member States adopted a political Declaration reaffirming their commitment to implement a United Nations action plan to end the scourge.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman trafficking is\u00a0all around us<\/a>, in all regions of the world,\u201d said Mr. Guterres, referring to such practices as forced labour, sexual servitude, recruitment of child soldiers and other forms of exploitation and abuse.<\/p>\n

The Assembly\u2019s\u00a0high-level meeting<\/a>, convened to examine progress achieved and challenges remaining in the implementation of the seven-year-old\u00a0Global Plan of Action<\/a>\u00a0to Combat Trafficking in Persons, opened today and closes tomorrow.<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0Declaration<\/a>, adopted without a vote, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States demonstrated their strong political will to take decisive concerted action to end the heinous crime.<\/p>\n

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As millions of children, women and men spill out of their countries towards safety, they find themselves at the mercy of merciless people<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In recent years, rising conflict, insecurity and economic uncertainty have brought new tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs millions of children, women and men spill out of their countries towards safety, they find themselves at the mercy of merciless people,\u201d Mr. Guterres said.<\/p>\n

These criminal networks are global, well-organized, technologically savvy, and highly proficient in taking advantage of gaps in governance and weaknesses in institutions, he added.<\/p>\n

Fighting human trafficking requires greater use of relevant instruments, including the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ conventions against transnational organized crime and against corruption, and next year\u2019s expected adoption by the General Assembly of a global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration is a further potential milestone, he said.<\/p>\n

The\u00a02030 Agenda<\/a>\u00a0for Sustainable Development, adopted by Member States in 2015, also addresses some of the root causes that make people vulnerable to trafficking. Often, trafficking is abetted by poverty and inequality.<\/p>\n

\u201cFighting trafficking and advancing sustainable, inclusive development go hand in hand,\u201d Mr. Guterres said.<\/p>\n

Also addressing the meeting, Yuri Fedotov, Executive Director of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Office on Drugs and Crime (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵODC<\/a>), said \u201cthis appraisal and the adoption of the political Declaration can help us take this commitment forward and sharpen responses to an odious crime that continues to exploit and victimize the most vulnerable, in all parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

To build a robust evidence base, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵODC is currently working with the academic community to develop innovative methodologies to measure the size and scope of the trafficking problem, he added.<\/p>\n

General Assembly President Miroslav Laj\u010d\u00e1k also addressed the meeting, as did Ms. Mira Sorvino, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵODC Goodwill Ambassador for the global fight against human trafficking and Grizelda Grootboom, a civil society representative and victim of human trafficking.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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