Trafficking in Children and the Best interests of the Child– OSCE Annual Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference, 3-4 April 2017.
The aim of this year’s conference was to enhance the coherence of international efforts and further promote integrated approaches to respond to child trafficking. The conference arose from an alliance of international and civil society organisations wishing to collaborate to strengthen measures to prevent child trafficking, protect children’s rights and efficiently prosecute perpetrators.   
Focusing on the three ‘Ps’, Prevention, Protection and Prosecution, topics discussed at the conference included:
Policies and measures which may foster the best interest of the child.
Threats facing children in crisis situations.
Factors which increase children’s vulnerability.
The adequacy of existing child protection systems.
Special emphasis was given to the increasing numbers of children on the move, including unaccompanied minors and internally displaced children.  Kevin Hyland, OBE, UK Anti-Slavery Commissioner was particularly concerned about the escalation in numbers of children being trafficked and called on all countries to work together and strategically deploy their resources at prevention of any further escalation. Fr. Michael Czerny, SJ, Under Secretary of the Migrants and Refugees section of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, spoke on behalf of Pope Francis, who encouraged the authorities to do more to combat human trafficking. Full message available at http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/04/03/popes_message_to_osce_human_trafficking_conference/1303043
360 representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation, major international organisations and NGO’s as well as academia, civil society, the media, trade unions participated in the conference which really was a forum in which participants could analyse case studies, exchange good practices and explore possibilities for collaborations in order to adequately respond to child trafficking in a rights-based and child-friendly manner.
As RENATE is about to undertake research on Child Trafficking in seven of its member countries (Albania, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Slovakia, the Netherlands and the Ukraine), attendance at the conference will be particularly useful for the times when we may have to rely on governmental organisations and NGOs to provide data that may be otherwise inaccessible.
Official report on the conference due shortly.
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.       

A debate on EU anti-trafficking strategy began on 3^rd April 2017 at the European parliament, Strasbourg.
MEPs have begun debating a planned revision of the EU’s Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings (2012-2016).
The current strategy served as guidance for implementing effective means of preventing trafficking, protecting victims and prosecuting traffickers. was planned to run until December 2016. Increased global migration has added an additional dimension to the challenges of human trafficking, with both migrant smuggling and human trafficking being lucrative and exploitative businesses involving human beings.  
A revised strategy has been announced but is yet to be adopted by the Commission. The draft resolution includes action by EU and member states’ external services to address poverty, oppression, lack of respect for human rights, armed conflict and economic and social inequalities.  MEP’s are also likely to call for transnational, legal and practical responses to human trafficking, in light of the fact that progress in the prosecution and conviction of human traffickers remains limited across Europe. 
Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, said that around 80% of “registered or presumed” victims in Europe between 2010 and 2012 were women. An EU directive passed in 2011 obliges member states to offer gender-specific support to trafficking victims.
RENATE Core Group members Marie Hćlène Halligon, gsn, and Monica Chickwe, som, will attend the 7^th Annual International Symposium on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, in Brussels on the 17 May 2017, where the EU’s Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings will be a core, foundational document informing discussions. Attendance at the Symposium will provide RENATE with a timely and invaluable opportunity to explore developing integrated solutions to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The Symposium will also add to our knowledge-base on effective means of identifying victims, awareness raising and improving multi-lateral cooperation. 
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.   

Europe (including Turkey and Russia) has overtaken North America as the continent hosting the largest number of child sexual abuse images and videos on the web (source: Internet Watch Foundation, the UK body responsible for finding and removing abuse content from UK networks).
According to IWF figures up to 2015, 57% of child sexual abuse images and videos were hosted in North America but by 2016, this number decreased substantially to 37%. Improved identification capacities, reporting and policing by internet firms in North America are believed to have been responsible for this decrease.
Full report   http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39456093
Prepared by Anne Kelleher, RENATE Communications.