In the message below, please see announcement related to the publication of the Annual Report of the Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA <https://www.coe.int/en/web/anti-human-trafficking>) for 2019.

The Report indicated that the number of people in Europe who, according to the authorities in the 47 countries bound by the Council of Europe's anti-trafficking convention,  were identified as victims of trafficking between 2015 and 2018 increased by 44% <https://rm.coe.int/9th-general-report-on-the-activities-of-greta-covering-the-period-from/16809e128b> (In Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 2015, 35 victims were identified, in 2016 – 48 victims, in 2017 – 83 victims, and 36 victims in 2018).

GRETA President Davor Derencinovic, in the introduction of the Report said that „The hidden nature of human trafficking and the fact that we have found problems with the identification process in many countries suggest that the real number of victims may actually be much higher.

It is crucial that the relevant authorities step up their efforts to tackle human trafficking and to provide the assistance and support that victims are legally entitled to.“

The Annual Report is particularly concerned with the identification of child victims of trafficking and the assistance measures provided to them, and provides an overview of the application of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings <https://www.coe.int/en/web/anti-human-trafficking/about-the-convention> by the countries concerned based on the report of the second evaluation round. By the end of 2019, a second evaluation round was completed in 42 out of the 47 contracting states and a new round of evaluations was launched (in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a questionnaire was sent in February this year, an evaluation visit is planned between September and December this year, draft report should be presented at the 40th GRETA meeting in March 2021 and the final report at the 41st meeting in July 2021).

The report also shows that the punishment of traffickers remains unsatisfactory.

Nevertheless, GRETA has observed certain improvements in the implementation of the convention. For example, there has been an increase in the number of countries with specific legal provisions allowing the non-punishment of victims for unlawful acts committed as a result of being trafficked. There has also been an increase in the number of countries which criminalise the use of services of victims of trafficking by people who know that they have been trafficked.

The report points out that in the plenary meetings over the past year, GRETA discussed reports submitted by individual governments on measures taken to meet the recommendations of the Committee of the Parties in the context of the second evaluation round, and agreed on issues to be discussed further in ongoing dialogue with the authorities.

In the last year, no new ratifications of the Convention took place. GRETA once again calls upon the Russian Federation, as the only remaining Council of Europe member State which has not done so, to sign and ratify the Convention, in order to ensure a pan-European response to the challenges posed by human trafficking.

Appendix no. 9 includes a table showing the application of the second round of the Convention in 34 areas for which individual states are „urged“ (required to take urgent action), partially urged or called for measures to be considered.

Alongside the annual report, GRETA has published a statement<https://rm.coe.int/greta-statement-covid19-en/16809e126a> on the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic in relation to human trafficking.

MONDAY 6 APRIL POST

A short Council of Europe  video describing the main 9th GRETA report findings as well as particular dangers faced by trafficked persons in these exceptional COVID19 times.  https://lnkd.in/gyPypUJ