The Conference of INGOs organised two events on 18 October 2021, to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) and the European Anti-Trafficking Day (18 October).
A ceremony with senior officials of the Council of Europe was held outside the Palais de l’Europe from 12h30 – 13h15, where testimonies of persons who have been a victim of trafficking or whose rights to decent work have been denied were presented.
The ceremony was followed by a webinar that explored the issue of decent work – articles 1, 2, 3, 4 and 26 of the revised European Social Charter related to: the formality of work; usefulness of work and impact on the environment, respect for the rights and dignity of all persons. Dr Mary McHugh, RENATE Representative at the INGO Council of Europe, supported the work in coordinating this webinar of raising awareness against Human Trafficking.
RENATE member Ana Stakaj, Executive at Mary Ward Loreto Albania, presented a very moving and impactful presentation, based on her experiences working with women and girls in Albania whose lives are affected by the lack of access to decent work, rendering them vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation.
We are grateful to all of you who helped RENATE give voice to the vulnerable, through your sharing of stories from your own ministries, which make the harsh realities of human trafficking very ‘’real’’ for those who attended and heard. Sr Marie Helene Halligan (Good Shepherd) former RENATE rep at the INGO and Marie Christine Davy, another RENATE rep at the INGO, were in attendance at this important event.