The annual meeting of the Council of Europe Network of specialised lawyers and NGOs providing legal assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings, which coincides with the European Anti-Trafficking Day, affirmed the commitment towards achieving justice for victims of trafficking.
The network has over 100 members across the states parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. It serves as a platform for exchanging experiences and information on key aspects of legal assistance to victims of trafficking, including to claim compensation and access other rights.
Mary Henderson, solicitor at the Immigrant Council of Ireland, noted: “Our network is committed to sharing experiences of good practices and innovations in identifying victims as well as holding states to account when they fail to support victims of human trafficking. By working together, we can learn to more quickly identify victims and ensure that national authorities can take action against the people who profit from the exploitation of others.”
Participants discussed developments in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights related to human trafficking. In its most recent judgment related to trafficking, in the case T.V. v. Spain, the Court reaffirmed and further developed the states' obligations to investigate serious allegations of human trafficking. Parosha Chandran, a barrister who represented the applicant, highlighted the importance of the Council of Europe network: “This case was referred to me by a member of our network, underlining how crucial our co-operation is in advancing victims' rights. It also demonstrates what can happen when civil society organisations support vulnerable victims of trafficking in their legal proceedings.”
