"Thank you, Special Representative Richie, for preparing
this report.
Human trafficking affects every country in the world,
whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for
victims. We must work together to stop this appalling trade
in men, women and children, and stop traffickers acting
with impunity.
We welcome the emphasis your Office has placed on improving
prosecution rates in human trafficking cases. Earlier this
year the UK recorded an annual increase of more than 50% in
modern slavery offenses as more victims came forward.
But even though we are seeing an increase in the number of
prosecutions brought and convictions secured, we
acknowledge there is more to do. So we look forward to
receiving your upcoming comprehensive account of the
findings of the prosecution-focussed Alliance conference
that will share effective ways in which we can ensure the
prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators of human
trafficking, so that their victims receive the justice they
deserve.
We agree with your assessment that supported victims lead
to stronger cases, and we were particularly struck by the
survivor testimonies given at the Alliance conference
earlier this year, which reminded us all of the courage
shown by those who come forward and how important it is to
protect these voices. In future, we look forward to
receiving your guidance on the establishment of child
trafficking focal points; as well as an overview of
gender-sensitive approaches, so we may better address
victims’ specific protection needs.
We support your Office’s work to eradicate trafficking from
supply chains, to ensure that we all stop paying –
inadvertently and unwittingly – for trafficking. We were
pleased to have provided some funding to your Office last
year to compile a compendium of ethical sourcing; as well
as to develop model guidelines on measures to prevent
trafficking for labour exploitation in supply chains.
Earlier this year, the UK became the first country to
publish a government modern slavery statement, setting out
how the UK Government is tackling modern slavery in its
supply chains across £50 billion of annual spending.
Individual ministerial departments will publish their
modern slavery statements next year.
We recognise the increasingly influential role technology
is playing in facilitating, but also in preventing, human
trafficking; and we welcome your Office’s commitment to
this agenda and the upcoming guidance for governments to
tackle misuse of technology. We are pleased to be able to
support your Office’s new project on enhancing the response
to the threat of technology-facilitated trafficking.
We echo your call to participating States to show the
political will to address comprehensively this important
issue. We hope that those OSCE participating States who
have not yet done so will sign up to the Modern Slavery
Call to Action, which sets out the practical steps that
countries need to take to respond effectively to modern
slavery, and demonstrates our collective intent that we
will not tolerate this in our societies.
We are pleased to take part in your Office’s follow-up
survey to obtain updated information on implementation by
the States of the existing, impressive body of OSCE
anti-trafficking commitments. We support this stocktaking
approach, which will be particularly useful in identifying
areas requiring more intense focus from States and spotting
particular trends or challenges in the OSCE region. We hope
this work, and the expertise of your Office, will guide
thinking on possible new Ministerial Council decisions,
focusing on where the gaps in our existing commitments are,
and where the OSCE has a clear role to play.
Once again can I offer my appreciation for the work you and
your team have done over the past year. We look forward to
continuing to work together on this important issue in 2021
and beyond.
Thank you."
