An evening drinks reception to launch the paper, ‘Trafficking in Human Beings Amounting to Torture and other Forms of Ill-treatment’, by the Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSCE).
The 2008 OSCE Ministerial Declaration on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stressed that ‘everyone has the right to life, liberty […]: no one shall be held in slavery, and no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’. Both human trafficking and torture and other forms of ill-treatment are a serious violation to a person’s right to life, liberty and security and of their human dignity and integrity.
This Paper, the first of its kind, developed in partnership with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights and the Helen Bamber Foundation, addresses and denounces the use of torture and other forms of ill treatment by traffickers as a means to subjugate, control and punish trafficked people. It analyses the legal and clinical circumstances in which trafficking can amount to torture or other forms of ill treatment. It discusses the legal implications that flow from this characterization, including in terms of legal entitlements. It identifies effective routes for sustained recovery of victims and it provides a comprehensive guide to the physical and psychological impact on victim.
OSCE’s Special Representative, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, gave the keynote address. She was joined by two guest speakers from the Helen Bamber Foundation and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute.
Further information
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Trafficking in human beings amounting to torture and other forms of ill-treatment – report by Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
