An Introduction to Human Trafficking - United Nations Office on ...

AN INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING: VULNERABILITY, IMPACT AND ACTION
II.—Working <strong>to</strong>gether
Traffickers routinely move their victims from one place <strong>to</strong> another either within a country
or abroad. Consequently, any effective response <strong>to</strong> trafficking requires the collaboration
of multiple agencies, often in two or more countries. Progress has been made in
improving coordination between separate agencies over the past seven years, at the local,
national, regional and international levels.
A.—At the national level
States with a national structure <strong>to</strong> coordinate anti-trafficking initiatives (such as a national
referral mechanism) or a national plan <strong>to</strong> combat trafficking or a national action plan
or programme have an institutional framework for ensuring cooperation between agencies
within their country. In the absence of a designated coordinating body, concerted action
against trafficking has been slower <strong>to</strong> develop and coordination between different agencies
in the country less easy. These various coordination mechanisms specify the roles
and responsibilities of different agencies. They are particularly helpful in cases when an
individual has been identified as a victim of trafficking and requires referral <strong>to</strong> various
agencies for different forms of assistance. 9
In some countries mechanisms for referring victims of trafficking <strong>to</strong> appropriate services
also function at the local level. This enables locally based agencies <strong>to</strong> coordinate their
efforts <strong>to</strong> protect people who have already been trafficked with their prevention efforts
and <strong>to</strong> target prevention on individuals, households or communities that share characteristics
with those already trafficked, that is <strong>to</strong> say, characteristics that appear <strong>to</strong> increase
the likelihood that they might be trafficked.
B.—At the bilateral level between two States
Various States have signed bilateral agreements on law enforcement cooperation and mutual
legal assistance. Others specify how citizens from one State who have been trafficked <strong>to</strong>
another are <strong>to</strong> be treated and assisted in returning home. These agreements generally
emphasize the importance of respecting the human rights of the trafficked persons in
order <strong>to</strong> avoid their being imprisoned, <strong>to</strong> ensure that they are protected and kept safe
while being repatriated, and <strong>to</strong> continue protecting them upon arrival in their own country.
Some agreements refer <strong>to</strong> women and children, such as one between Cambodia and
Thailand, while others refer solely <strong>to</strong> children, such as one between Côte d’Ivoire and
Mali.
Despite the existence of such bilateral agreements, many people trafficked or exploited
in States that are parties <strong>to</strong> bilateral agreements have not been identified as victims of
crime and have instead been dealt with as irregular migrants, denied protection and assis-
9
The role of national referral mechanisms in States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
is set out in the publication National Referral Mechanisms: Joining Efforts <strong>to</strong> Protect the Rights of Trafficked Persons: a
Practical Handbook (Warsaw, 2004) (see http://www.osce.org/odihr/documents.html).
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