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OAS HAS KEY ROLE IN COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN AMERICAS

The Organization of American States (OAS) has a key role to play in combating the crime of trafficking in persons, not only among the member states but also between the Western Hemisphere and other regions of the world, the OAS Anti-Trafficking in Persons Coordinator, Phillip Linderman, said today.

In a report to the OAS Permanent Council, Linderman underscored the growing awareness throughout the Americas of the seriousness of human trafficking, a form of commercial exploitation that typically preys on women, children, migrants and people living in extreme poverty.

Linderman, whose office is part of the OAS Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), explained that many victims end up being exploited in the commercial sexual trade or in other types of forced labor, such as in agriculture, manufacturing sweatshops or domestic servitude. Trafficking in persons can occur within the same country or across international borders.

The OAS has been engaged in a dialogue on this issue with Japan, said Linderman, who said a Japanese delegation had met earlier this year with OAS Acting Secretary General Luigi R. Einaudi to discuss how to address this crime. According to a preliminary study commissioned by the OAS and released in April, an estimated 1,700 victims from Latin America and the Caribbean are trafficked to Japan every year.

The OAS has also retained an expert to study the trafficking of Chinese migrants to countries in the Americas and hopes to begin a dialogue with China on the issue, Linderman said. “The OAS is well positioned to speak for the hemisphere on this issue,” he said, adding that the member states are working to increase the exchange of information about this complex problem.

Linderman reported on OAS anti-trafficking efforts in the past year, which included holding seminars in a number of countries throughout the region. The next seminar on the issue is scheduled to take place later this month in Bolivia.

During the session, chaired by Peruvian Ambassador Alberto Borea, representatives of several member states noted that combating crime of human trafficking has become a priority for their governments and stressed the importance of taking an integrated approach to the problem that addresses aspects related to human rights, security, migration, law enforcement and other issues. A working group of the Permanent Council, chaired by Ambassador Manuel María Cáceres of Paraguay, has been discussing the possiblity of holding a comprehensive hemispheric meeting on the issue in the coming months.

Reference: E-097/05