mechanisms on trafficking in human
beings
In nearly all EU Member States some form of data collection takes place, but often this is not formalised, or coordinated at governmental level. As a result in several Member States different relevant state departments keep their own statistics (e.g. in Esonia, Greece, Spain, Hungary and Slovakia), thereby using their own methodology and with their own focus.
For that reason the data collection mechanisms that do exist in eight Member States427
can be considered a good practice. In this respect it must be pointed out that in fact the Netherlands is the only EU Member State that has appointed a National Rapporteur on THB. In the Czech Republic the Security Policy Department functions as National Rapporteur. It appears that Portugal has a National Rapporteur too, but the information in the national report on this point is not entirely clear.428 In Austria a National
Coordinator on trafficking in human beings is anticipated. As this was already formulated as an action point in several international instruments such as the 1997 The Hague Ministerial Declaration on European Guidelines for Effective Measures to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Women for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation (1997)429, it might
be recommendable that other Member States follow the Dutch example and appoint a National Rapporteur on THB.
426 No official impact assessment is publicly available in BE (not yet), BG, CY, EL, NL, SI and
RO.
427 See section D.7.37. Namely: the Bulgarian National Commission for Combating Trafficking
in Human Beings, The Danish Centre for trafficking, the Irish Anti Human Trafficking Unit, the Italian Human Trafficking Observatory, the Dutch National Rapporteur on trafficking in human beings, Dutch Coordination Centre on Trafficking in Human Beings, the Dutch National Expertise Centre on Youth Prostitution and the Dutch National Expertise Centre on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, the Portuguese Observatory (research and monitoring centre), the Romanian National Agency against Trafficking in Persons and the Romanian National Authority for the Protection of Children’s Rights and lastly the UK Human Trafficking Centre and the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
428 The Portuguese report mentions the Rapporteur only once, without properly introducing it. See
par. 46, page 10 of the national report, that reads: ‘According to NGOs and the National Rapporteur there have been no campaigns specifically related to child trafficking.’
429 The Hague Ministerial on European Guidelines for effective measures to prevent and combat
trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation, Ministerial Conference under the Presidency of the European Union, The Hague, 24-26 April 1997.
Two other data collection mechanisms that have been heralded as an example of good practice regarding the fight against trafficking are the Irish Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and the data collection mechanism of the Romanian National Agency against Trafficking in Persons (NATP).
As explained above (see section E.5.1.) the newly established Irish Anti Human Trafficking Unit will be collecting data on suspects and victims of trafficking and have separate forms for children and adults. ‘The data it collects will not be solely based on offences committed or the kind of exploitation suffered but will also examine demographics, the reasons victims had for leaving their country, information about the route they took into Ireland and the assistance they receive in Ireland. The data it collects is intended to be internationally comparable.’
The Romanian Agenţia Naţională împotriva Traficului de Persoane [National Agency against Trafficking in Persons (NATP)]430 has developed a national system of data
collection on trafficking in persons (both for adults and children), operational from January 2007. The system uses a central database, a search application and a web-type interface. Access is permitted only for NATP (a specific department: Service for Monitoring, Evaluation and Research and Regional Centres) and to certain public institutions on the basis of explicit protocols.431 This system collects information from the
nominal database of Romanian children who are unaccompanied abroad and of repatriated Romanian child victims or alleged victims of child trafficking, as well as from the national system of data collection on child victims of internal trafficking, implemented by child protection authorities from each county.432’
In its most recent Annual Report on Trafficking in Persons, the US State Department pays specific attention to the national database of the NATP as a ‘Commendable Initiative’. According to the report this database was ‘crucial for identifying and quickly responding to emerging trends in trafficking’. The report adds that: ‘Through the use of the database, NATP was the first to identify an increase in labor trafficking of Romanians to the Czech Republic, and disseminate the information to law enforcement and policy officials. The national database is an effective tool for targeting trafficking trends and serves as a model for other countries.’433
430 The National Agency against Trafficking in Persons (NATP) established through the
Government Decision no. 1584 of 08.12 2005, is a specialised body of the central public administration, with legal status, under the coordination of the Ministry of Administration and Interior, through the reorganisation of the National Office for Preventing Trafficking in Persons and Monitoring the Protection provided to its Victims within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police. The purpose of the Agency is to coordinate, evaluate and monitor, at national level, the implementation of policies in the field of trafficking in persons by the public institutions, as well as those in the field of protection and assistance provided to its victims.
431 See Response of NATP No.1494982/11.06.2008, point 2, on file with the national Fralex
expert.
432 See Response of NAPCR No.SAERI/es./5483/13.06.2008, point 2, on file with the national
Fralex expert.
433 US Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2008, Chapter Commendable