[The International Federation and its member National Societies have a profound concern for the victims of trafficking. The Interpol Working Group provided an opportunity to explore the potential for links between National Societies as auxiliaries to the public authorities of their countries in the humanitarian field and police forces to ensure the best possible protection for women and children victims. The following is an excerpt from Ms Muller's presentation to the Group]
Before we move to the discussion concerning the America region, I wish to take a few minutes to make an introduction on "The Bridge", the paper that most of you have picked up from the table outside of the meeting room.
The Bridge is a quarterly publication of the International Federation designed to share information on the activities of European Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies.
The spring 2005 issue is focussed on the area of human trafficking. The information provided covers a wide range of activities conducted by the Red Cross Red Crescent to assist people affected by trafficking and to prevent more people falling into the hands of traffickers.
One example given is that of the Danish Red Cross providing the basics to meet with the needs of children victims of trafficking.
Another is the Ukrainian Red Cross peer education program to inform young people about the realities of life for which they must be prepared. Similarly, the Bulgarian Red Cross has a 24 hour hotline service to assist affected populations and give them emergency support when it is most needed.
Although The Bridge, by its nature as a European publication, concentrates on programmes in Europe region, examples raised can serve as reference for law enforcement authorities when developing programmes anywhere in the world.
As you certainly have noticed in the publication, the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have been working together with others to address the trafficking issue, such as National Law Enforcement and Authorities, Ministries concerned and other national partners. International partners include the International Organisation for Migration, and others.
Trafficking causes great prejudice, misery and hardship for many people, and is a matter of great concern to our National Societies. This is why we have made it a major element in the International Federation's work with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna. It is also why the IFRC highlighted these concerns at the recent United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Bangkok.
You will have found in your copy of The Bridge a one page paper taken from the statement delivered at the Bangkok Crime Congress by the IFRC Delegation. It provides a general overview on the Federation's work to address the phenomenon of trafficking, in short the 4 Ps - prevention, provision, protection and public support - for your information.
My organisation hopes that this cooperation can be extended to Interpol so we can maximise our effort to assist the most vulnerable in the future.
This is why we are so grateful for the opportunity to participate in this Interpol working group. It is our hope that working with you will help us reach out with our trafficking information to concerned partners in all relevant countries, including as a priority those in source and transition countries.
To illustrate the point, we are now arranging for The Bridge to be translated into Russian, Polish and Romanian languages.
Only through the widest involvement of all countries and their affected communities will the full dimensions of the trafficking epidemic now scarring the world be fully understood. And only with that understanding will an effective and comprehensive program be implemented successfully.
We look forward to working closely with working group members and police forces on this priority subject, as well as on others where the IFRC and Interpol and its members share similar objectives.