CORRUPTION

Interview with Dr. Myria Vassiliadou
International Affairs Forum
in a Commission’s publication called “The List
of Victims’ Rights”, victims of trafficking that is,
available on the Commission’s anti-trafficking
website in all the EU languages. There are
rights ranging from specific ones for child victims
in terms of how they are protected in criminal
procedures, to ensuring shelters and protection
from re-victimization, to guardianship of children
who are deprived of parental care, etc. There are
many protections in place, but are they properly
implemented? I have my doubts.
Rather than act once it has already occurred,
how can human trafficking be prevented from
occurring all together?
The line of the Commission is very clear on this.
Our position is that trafficking does not happen
because people are poor, although poverty
may indeed increase vulnerability. People are
trafficked because of profits and because of
demand for the services of victims. Human
trafficking is astronomically profitable for the
criminals (as well as the legal sector sometimes),
and people are trafficked because someone is
making use of their services. I mentioned before
the Nigerian girls, some only 13-14 years old.
Somebody sells them in Nigeria to be bought in
the European market. What about the demand?
If we want to prevent the phenomenon, we need
to go after the money involved in trafficking,
reduce the demand that fosters all forms of
trafficking, ensure awareness of the issue by the
general public, and carry out training for judges,
prosecutors, police officers and all front line
officials who might be in touch with victims.
The Directive obliges Member States to take
action to decrease demand. We need to ask
difficult questions: Who profits from trafficking?
Where does a supply chain come from? What
can we do to stop trafficking? Focusing on
prevention and on finding the people who profit
from trafficking is the only way to stop this crime.
We need to determine who makes money from
this industry.
Do you believe that it is easier to prevent
trafficking before it has occurred, or to
resolve the consequences created by
trafficking?
I think, of course, it would be better to prevent the
crime rather than address it after it has occurred.
This should be our ultimate objective: ensuring
that trafficking does not happen in the first place.
It is a challenging mission, but ultimately, more
respectful to potential victims. At the same time,
we need to be prepared to support people who
have already been victimized. As many victims
have told me personally, they often feel that help
comes too late.
Are the current mechanisms designed
to prevent trafficking stronger than posttrafficking
resolution methods?
We have excellent legislation in place at the
EU level and we have an ambitious policy
framework that has been endorsed by the EU
Member States. As I mentioned earlier, what
we do not see as yet is the full implementation
of all the tools that we have in place in the EU.
The EU legislation obliges Member States to
take action to reduce the demand for all forms
of exploitation. It obliges Member States to
conduct training with frontline officials so that
they are equipped and able to identify victims.
Member States are also obliged to ensure
awareness of the issue and to strive to prevent
it as responsible citizens, customers, and
users and buyers of products and services.
At minimum, Member States must at least
consider criminalizing those who are knowingly
using the services of victims of trafficking. We
must ask ourselves: if we do not criminalize
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