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- Ambassador Pekka Hyvönen, Permanent Representative of Finland to the Council of Europe, who is

Chair of the Committee of the Parties, and

- Mr Nicolas Le Coz, President of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in

Human Beings (GRETA).

I will soon leave the floor to them and I trust that they will give us an overview on the Convention, its

principles and its functioning.

Let me spend a few words on the great importance that the Parliamentary Assembly and I personally attach

to this convention.

Trafficking in human beings is a widespread violation of human rights and it affects women and men, adults

and children. However, women are affected disproportionately. Therefore, the Committee on Equal

Opportunities for Women and Men of the Parliamentary Assembly, which I chaired, and today the Committee

on Equality and Non-Discrimination, consider the fight on human trafficking as a major part of its mandate.

A few years ago, in December 2010, the Committee organised in Paris an important conference on

“Parliaments United against human trafficking”.

That was one of the many occasions in which we as members of the Parliamentary Assembly and national

parliamentarians renewed our commitment to support the Council of Europe Convention on Action against

Trafficking in Human Beings.

The final declaration issued on that occasion was made available here today – Its first recommendation is

for Council of Europe member states to sign and ratify the Convention, if they have not already done so.

This is what our gathering today is about: it is important that the whole European continent is covered by the

provisions of the Convention, because trafficking is a typically cross-border form of crime. If one country or one

region fails to counter trafficking effectively, it represents a weaker link which partly jeopardises the efforts of

the others.

Therefore, today’s event targets particularly the countries which have not signed the Convention, and those

who have not ratified, namely Estonia, Greece and Turkey. We parliamentarians can lobby our respective

governments into signing a convention. And when it comes to ratification, we are the main players and have the

ultimate responsibility in getting things done.

Just a few more words to explain why I was happy to accept the proposal to moderate this meeting. I am in

the front line against human trafficking in my activities with the Parliamentary Assembly.

In the last year, I have been preparing a report for the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination on

prostitution and trafficking in Europe. The title is in fact “Prostitution, trafficking and modern slavery in Europe”,

as we all know that trafficking in human being is a modern form of slavery and a severe violation of human

rights, not simply a criminal activity like any other.

Prostitution and trafficking may be different phenomena, but they are certainly strictly intertwined.

As rapporteur, I have analised a large amount of studies and I have conducted visits to 4 Council of Europe

member states (Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands). My aim was to better understand the

link between the two and whether it’s possible to combat trafficking by regulating prostitution.

I have almost reached the final stage of the preparation of this report and soon I will be able to share it with

all those who are committed to fighting human trafficking.

Thanks for your attention.

ANEXO E

Closing speech by M. Mendes Bota at the joint meeting between the Parliamentary Network “Women

free from Violence”, and the Parliamentary Network “Stop sexual violence against Children”, about

« Sexual exploitation of girls »

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 29 January 2014

Dear members, dear participants,