Blue Heart Campaign

Last updated
Blue Heart Campaign
PurposeAnti-trafficking
Parent organization
 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Website www.unodc.org/blueheart

The Blue Heart Campaign is an international anti-trafficking program started by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). [1] Established in 1997, the UNODC supported countries in implementing three UN drug protocols. In 2000, after the UN General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, the UNODC became the “guardian” of that protocol and assumed the functions of fighting against human trafficking. [2] The Blue Heart Campaign was launched in March 2009 by the Executive Director of the UNODC, Antonio Maria Costa, during his address to the World's Women's Conference meeting in Vienna. The campaign's symbol is a blue heart. [3] The Blue Heart Campaign uses its website, as well as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr to communicate goals, objectives, and news with the public.

Contents

Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons

The UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which came into force on 25 December 2003, states that while there are rules and measures to combat the exploitation of persons, there is no universal instrument to combat all aspects of trafficking in persons. [4] The protocol includes legislative provisions and protection, prevention and cooperation measures. [4] To date, more than 147 countries have ratified and signed the protocol. [2] However, according to the UNODC, "very few criminals are being brought to justice and most victims are never identified or assisted. [2]

Funding

To support the Blue Heart Campaign, the UN launched the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The Fund was established following the adoption by the General Assembly in July 2010 of the UN Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. The fund will also help Governments, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to protect and support victims of human trafficking so they can recover from their physical and psychological injuries.

Trafficking in Persons Report

For the United States, the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. [5] It is the world's most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts and represents an updated, global look at the nature and scope of trafficking in persons and the broad range of government actions to confront and eliminate it. [5] The U.S. government uses the TIP Report to engage foreign governments in dialogues to advance anti-trafficking reforms and to combat trafficking and to target resources on prevention, protection, and prosecution programs. [5] International organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations use the report as a tool to examine where resources are most needed. [5] Freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice are the ultimate goals of the report and of the U.S. Government's anti-human trafficking policy. [5] In the TIP Report, the Department of State places each country onto one of three tiers based on the extent of their governments' efforts to comply with the "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking" found in Section 108 of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA). [5] While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem. On the contrary, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made efforts to address the problem, and complies with the TVPA's minimum standards. [5] Each year, governments need to demonstrate appreciable progress in combating trafficking to maintain a Tier 1 ranking. [5]

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

On 31 December 2012 Barack Obama declared January the National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In his proclamation, President Obama explains that "trafficking networks operate both domestically and trans-nationally, and although abuses disproportionately affect women and girls, the victims of this ongoing global tragedy are men, women, and children of all ages. Around the world, we are monitoring the progress of governments in combating trafficking while supporting programs aimed at its eradication". [6] On 29 December 2017, President Donald Trump proclaimed January 2018 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Involvement

Mexico was the first country in the world to join back in April 2010. [11] Spain followed Mexico's example and joined the Campaign in June 2010, becoming the first European country to join. [12] In April 2012, Portugal joined the list of countries supporting the campaign. It was launched by Teresa Morais, Secretary of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Equality, Manuel Albano, Portuguese National Rapporteur for Human Trafficking, and Pierre Lapaque, Chief of the UNODC Organized Crime Unit. [13] Word about Blue Heart has spanned the globe and many organizations are getting involved. A student organization at the University of South Florida called N.I.T.E. (Necessary Improvements to Transform the Environment) participated in the campaign in February 2012 to support two fellow students that had survived human trafficking. [14] In April 2009, the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) and its Blue Blindfold Campaign entered into a strategic partnership with the UNODC and the Blue Heart Campaign to promote each other's campaigns, aiming specifically to present a clear public image of their complementary relationship while clarifying their two very distinct functions. [15]

Increased enforcement efforts in Europe

In 2011 the European Union adopted the legislation Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. [2] It aims to make legislation and penalties more effective, ensuring successful prevention and prosecution on trafficking as well as enhanced protection of, and assistance to, victims. [2] In December 2011, the European Commission appointed Myria Vassilliadou as Anti-Trafficking Coordinator with a view to improving coordination and coherence between EU institutions and agencies as well as with Member States and international actors. [2] The establishment of the coordinator also aims to provide for an overall strategic and policy orientation. [2] By bringing together prevention, law enforcement, and victim protection, she will ensure that all appropriate means for EU action against trafficking are adequately used and mobilized. [2] The European Police Office (Europol) assists EU Member States in their fight against serious and organized crime. [2] Trafficking in human beings is one of Europol's mandated crime areas. [2] In its 2011 report 'Trafficking in Human Beings in the European Union,' Europol concludes that "the positive steps taken by many Member States and the EU to prevent and combat trafficking in Europe have ensured that the current level of response in tackling this crime has never been higher. Lengthy prison sentences for convicted traffickers are now routine in some countries, the levels of awareness amongst law enforcement and the judiciary have been raised, victim protection and support is prioritized and national action plans provide clear examples of Member State strategy and intent. The investigation of labor exploitation is now firmly on the agenda of many countries and again indicates the willingness of countries to recognize, adapt to and combat new forms of trafficking. However, based on current reporting, intelligence, trends and patterns, it is unlikely that there will be any immediate reduction in the levels of trafficking of human beings in Europe. This crime will continue to have a major impact on the EU". [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime</span> Intergovernmental organization

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is a United Nations office that was established in 1997 as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention by combining the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division in the United Nations Office at Vienna. and was renamed the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2002.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children Commercial transaction that involves the sexual exploitation of a child

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a commercial transaction that involves the sexual exploitation of a child, or person under the age of consent. CSEC involves a range of abuses, including but not limited to: the prostitution of children, child pornography, stripping, erotic massage, phone sex lines, internet-based exploitation, and early forced marriage.

The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children is a protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. It is one of the three Palermo protocols, the others being the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking</span> Trade of sexual slaves

Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts, usually non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).

Transnational organized crime Organized crime across national borders

Transnational organized crime (TOC) is organized crime coordinated across national borders, involving groups or markets of individuals working in more than one country to plan and execute illegal business ventures. In order to achieve their goals, these criminal groups use systematic violence and corruption. Common transnational organized crimes include conveying drugs, conveying arms, trafficking for sex, toxic waste disposal, materials theft and poaching.

According to the U.S. Government's Trafficking in Person's (TIP) Report, Singapore is a destination country for foreign victims trafficked for the purpose of labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Over the years, victims of trafficking in Singapore have come from many countries throughout Asia such as India, Thailand, the People's Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Malaysia. Many of these people travel to Singapore voluntarily for work in different industries such as construction, manufacturing, or commercial sex. The use of deception about working conditions, debt bondage, the unlawful confiscation of travel documents, confinement and/or physical or sexual abuse is utilized by traffickers to force victims into involuntary servitude. The U.S. TIP Report also notes a small quantity of Singaporeans engaging in and/or promoting child sex tourism abroad. The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in Tier 1 in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking</span> Trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. Human trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victim's rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation. Human trafficking is the trade in people, especially women and children, and does not necessarily involve the movement of the person from one place to another.

Human trafficking in Australia

Human trafficking in Australia is illegal under Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code (Cth). In September 2005, Australia ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, which supplemented the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Amendments to the Criminal Code were made in 2005 to implement the Protocol.

The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) is a multi-stakeholder initiative providing global access to expertise, knowledge and innovative partnerships to combat human trafficking.

Angola is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically conditions of forced prostitution and forced labor. Internally, trafficking victims are forced to labor in agriculture, construction, domestic servitude, and reportedly in artisanal diamond mines. Angolan women and children more often become victims of internal rather than transnational sex trafficking. Women and children are trafficked to South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Namibia, and European nations, primarily Portugal. Traffickers take boys to Namibia for forced labor in cattle herding. Children are also forced to act as couriers in illegal cross-border trade between Namibia and Angola as part of a scheme to skirt import fees. Illegal migrants from the DRC voluntarily enter Angola's diamond-mining districts, where some are later reportedly subjected to forced labor or prostitution in the mining camps.

Transnational efforts to prevent human trafficking are being made to prevent human trafficking in specific countries and around the world.

Barbados is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and forced labor. Some children in Barbados are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation in “transactional sex” wherein a third party such as a parent receives a benefit from the child’s participation in sexual activity. Researchers identified patterns of transactional sex within families, most often by adult male caretakers such as step-fathers, as well as child prostitution outside the home. Women from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Jamaica voluntarily enter Barbados as illegal migrants, and some expect to engage in prostitution. Some of these women are exploited in forced prostitution subsequent to their arrival. Some other foreign women who entered the country illegally are exploited in involuntary domestic servitude in private homes. Foreign men have been transported to Barbados for the purpose of labor exploitation in construction and other sectors. Sex traffickers, primarily organized criminals from Guyana, form partnerships with pimps and brothel owners from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, and lure women to Barbados with offers of legitimate work. Trafficking victims tend to enter the country through legal means, usually by air; traffickers later use force and coercion to obtain and maintain the victims’ work in strip clubs, massage parlors, some private residences, and “entertainment clubs” which operate as brothels. Traffickers use methods such as threats of physical harm or deportation, debt bondage, false contracts, psychological abuse, and confinement to force victims to work in construction, the garment industry, agriculture, or private households.

Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced labour and forced prostitution. The U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2 Watchlist" in 2017. Trafficked people, particularly women and children, are recruited from within and outside the country's borders – for involuntary domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, street hawking, domestic servitude, mining, begging etc. Some are taken from Nigeria to other West and Central African countries, primarily Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Chad, Benin, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, and the Gambia, for the same purposes. Children from other West African states like Benin, Togo, and Ghana – where Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rules allow for easy entry – are also forced to work in Nigeria, and some are subjected to hazardous jobs in Nigeria's granite mines. Europe, especially Italy and Russia, the Middle East and North Africa, are prime destinations for forced prostitution.Nigerians accounted for 21% of the 181,000 migrants that arrived in Italy through the Mediterranean in 2016 and about 21,000 Nigerian women and girls have been trafficked to Italy since 2015.

Greece is a transit, source and destination country for women and children who are subjected to human trafficking, specifically forced prostitution and conditions of forced labor for men, women, and children. Female sex trafficking victims originate primarily in Eastern Europe and former Soviet bloc countries. Traffickers use physical, emotional, and sexual abuse for coercion. Greece's European Union membership, coupled with a shared border with Turkey, means the country sees massive flows of illegal immigrants looking to enter the EU. Traffickers also use Greece not only as a destination but also as transit stop and also as a source country where even Greek women are prostituted on the way to Western Europe.

Human trafficking in Costa Rica Trade of people in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for goods and products, a great location for trade in the seas. Costa Rica is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea making it a source of imports and exports. Costa Rica is approximately 19,653 square miles of land, making it smaller than West Virginia. To a lesser but increasing extent, Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor, particularly in the agriculture, construction, fishing, and domestic service sectors. The economy greatly depends on the exportation of bananas and coffee, making high demands of agriculture work. Costa Rican women and children are forced into commercial sexual exploitation due to high rates of poverty and violence. Women and girls from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, and Panama have been identified in as victims of forced prostitution. Child sex tourism is a serious problem, particularly in the provinces of Guanacaste, Limon, Puntarenas, and San José. Child sex tourists arrive mostly from the United States and Europe. Young men from Nicaragua, Vietnam, China and other Asian countries are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Costa Rica. Adults have been identified using trafficked women and children to transport and sell drugs. Neighboring countries and cities are victims as well to forced labor many times trafficked to Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The A21 Campaign</span> International non-governmental organization

The A21 Campaign is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, forced slave labor, bonded labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiery. The organization was founded by Christine Caine, an international motivational speaker, in 2008. The A21 Campaign aims to "abolish slavery everywhere, forever," and focuses on combatting slavery around the world through educational awareness and prevention, the protection of victims, the prosecution of traffickers, and various partnerships. The A21 Campaign has branches in the Australia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, The United Kingdom, The United States and more.

Sex trafficking in Europe Overview of sex trafficking in Europe

Sex trafficking is defined as transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions and is commonly associated with organized crime.

Human trafficking in New Zealand

Human trafficking is a crime in New Zealand under Section 98D of the Crimes Act 1961. In 2002, the New Zealand Government ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, a protocol to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). New Zealand participates in efforts to combat human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region, and has a leadership role in the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Human Trafficking and related Transnational Crime.

Human trafficking in Southeast Asia

Human trafficking in Southeast Asia has long been a problem for the area and is still prevalent today. It has been observed that as economies continue to grow, the demand for labor is at an all-time high in the industrial sector and the sex tourism sector. A mix of impoverished individuals and the desire for more wealth creates an environment for human traffickers to benefit in the Southeast Asia region. Many nations within the region have taken preventive measures to end human trafficking within their borders and punish traffickers operating there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Grazia Giammarinaro</span> Italian judge and policy-maker (born 1953)

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro is an Italian judge and policy-maker.

References

  1. ↑ "About the Blue Heart Campaign". United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The Blue Heart Campaign". United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe . Retrieved 13 March 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Blue Heart Campaign to End Human Trafficking". actualism.org. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime". United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights . Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Trafficking in Persons Report". Blue Heart Campaign. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "Presidential Proclamation: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2012". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved 15 April 2013– via National Archives.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  7. ↑ Office of the Press Secretary (29 December 2017). "President Donald J. Trump Proclaims January 2018 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month". whitehouse.gov . Washington, D.C. Retrieved 10 January 2018– via National Archives.
  8. ↑ Westwood, Sarah (29 December 2017). "Trump declares January 'National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month'". The Washington Examiner . Washington, D.C.: Clarity Media Group. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  9. ↑ Anapol, Avery (1 January 2018). "Trump designates January 2018 a month dedicated to combatting human trafficking". The Hill . Washington, D.C.: Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  10. ↑ Office of the Federal Register (29 December 2017). "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2018". Federal Register . Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018. Alt URL
  11. ↑ "Mexico leads countries in UN Blue Heart human trafficking campaign". UN News Centre . Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Spain joins campaign against human trafficking". United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "Portugal joins Blue Heart campaign against human trafficking". United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "N.I.T.E. launches Blue Heart Campaign". University of South Florida. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Strategic partnership between UKHTC's Blue Blindfold Campaign and the UNODC's Blue Heart Campaign". Blue Blindfold Campaign. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.