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UN slammed for trafficking
27/10/2005 13:40 - (SA)
Rome - The United States' top expert on human trafficking, John Miller, said on Wednesday that the United Nations should "clean up its act" in combating the sexual exploitation of women by its peacekeeping forces.
A senior adviser to US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, Miller said: "UN peacekeepers and by extension, the UN, will end up with the reputation less for peacekeeping than for trafficking and sexual exploitation.
"UN peacekeepers and forces serving in the Balkans, and now in Congo, have been continually involved in trafficking and sexual exploitation. The UN's own investigation in the Congo has made that clear."
An investigation found that UN "blue helmets" in the Democratic Republic of Congo sexually exploited girls as young as 12 in exchange for food, money or jobs.
Anti-trafficking laws
Miller said greater emphasis should be placed on 'demand side' countries in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as anti-trafficking laws passed in countries like the US and Italy were insufficient in themselves.
Miller said: "We are primarily destination countries as opposed to source countries. But we have to ask ourselves, who is creating the demand for these victims?
"We have very advanced laws, particularly in comparison with other countries, but we should not be patting ourselves on the back because both of us have so much more to do."
Non-government Organisations (NGO's) and civil society had "led the way" in the fight against human trafficking.
Human traffickers
Miller said: "In our country, if it hadn't been for faith-based organisations, NGOs, our government would not have got involved."
According to the UN, the annual profit made by human traffickers was between five and seven billion dollars annually.
In Western Europe alone, an estimated 120 000 women were trafficked annually from Central and Eastern Europe.
Much of the front-line work dealing with the millions of victims worldwide of human trafficking, including some 30 000 Nigerian prostitutes working in Italy, falls to faith-based organisations like Catholic agency, Caritas.
Human trade
Sebastien Dechamps of Caritas said: "We are close to the victims. Women victims of trafficking will be in touch with the church, with the local Caritas, with the religious orders of sisters and brothers.
"We can also do our best to reach out to children and men who have been victims of the 'human trade'."
Dechamps said: "We must address the 'demand side' of trafficking. I'm talking of the 'customer' who's looking for prostitutes.
"I'm talking of the businessman who's looking for cheap labour, here in Europe, in the 'States, in Iraq, or in India.
"The victims will often come to us to seek support and comfort. But, I think we have a pressing responsibility to also meet those people who are feeding the process."
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