The Joint Project “Improving the support services for child victims of trafficking in Austria”, which is implemented by the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Division in co-operation with the European Commission, was launched officially in a kick-off meeting held in Vienna on 28 February 2025. The Project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and the Council of Europe.
The meeting brought together representatives of Austria’s Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking and its Working Group on Combating Child Trafficking, civil society organisations and international organisations active in combating human trafficking.
In his opening address, Andreas Kresbach, the interim Head of the Department Family Law policy and children's rights in the Federal Chancellery/DG Family and Youth, affirmed the commitment of Austria to combating trafficking in human beings, including through this new project aimed at improving the system for identification, assistance and protection of child victims of trafficking. On behalf of the European Commission, Marton Juhasz, Policy Officer in SG-REFORM, stated that the project is fully aligned with the priorities of the European Union and the EU Strategy on Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025). Petya Nestorova, Head of the Anti-Trafficking Division of the Council of Europe, underlined Austria’s efforts to combat human trafficking and implement the recommendations made by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), and recalled the importance of setting up a specialised facility for child victims of trafficking. Ambassador Ulrike Butschek, Head of the Human Rights Department in the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs, recalled Austria’s international engagement in combating human trafficking and stressed the importance of coordinated efforts at international, national and regional level.
The purpose of the Joint Project, which will run for two years, is to finalise the concept for setting up a nationwide protection facility for child victims of trafficking and revise the Guidelines on identifying and referring potential victims of child trafficking.
