Mr Peter Van Hauwermeiren is a Belgian national. He has been an active partner in the Belgian multidisciplinary network of actors in the field of combating human trafficking since 1995, representing the Labour Inspectorate. He has been working in various Belgian Social and Labour Inspection organisations since 1990. He has a solid track record in co-ordinating inspection operations regarding undeclared work and labour exploitation.

Since 2017 he has been Head of the Anti-trafficking Directorate within the Belgian National Social Security Office Inspectorate. His main task is to develop strategies for inspection and investigation activities in the area of trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation and to uphold a strong network of anti-trafficking partners, on both a national and international level.

As an advocate of a strong multidisciplinary approach, he has a vast experience in investigating trafficking cases, co-operating with prosecutors, police and victim support centres. His focus is on maximising the potential which labour inspectors’ powers and wide presence on the field offer to increase victim detection capacity and on both building up a strong case for prosecution and paying attention to the victims’ rights to protection and compensation.

Mr Van Hauwermeiren has developed and conducted training programmes for frontline actors. In the past two decades he has shared his expertise at international fora and has contributed to anti-trafficking initiatives and projects conducted by various international organisations (Council of Europe, OSCE, ILO, IOM, ICMPD, HEUNI, EU/Europol’s EMPACT and others).