| United States – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty |
| United States– Salesians at the UNO Commission for Social Development |
| United States – International Migrants Day |
For nearly two years, a small group of NGOs sponsored by Religious Congregations had been meeting as a working group on Migration and Trafficking of the NGO Committee on Migration.
In early May, 2011 the members decided that the time was right to set up a committee Against Trafficking and voted to start the committee in June.
The Committee Against Trafficking will address the issue of trafficking in the key areas of: sexual exploitation, with special emphasis on addressing the demand side of the issue; labour; organ harvesting; and adoption.
The Core Group of the NGO Committee functions as the coordinating group of the committee and exercises a collaborative leadership model. The core group members are: Thomas Brennan (Salesians of Don Bosco); Ilaria Buonriposi (Vivat International, Comboni Sisters); Leonir Chiarello (Scalabrinis); Winifred Doherty (Good Shepherd Sisters); Catherine Ferguson (UNANIMA International).
At the first meeting, a member of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children gave a presentation on the efforts of the Office to combat the issue of trafficking especially of children. A lively discussion followed and future collaboration is guaranteed. The International Organization on Migration and the International Labour Organization have also agreed to work in partnership with the committee.
The issue of trafficking is clearly a worldwide problem that needs to be addressed, and it is believed that forming a Committee Against Trafficking is a sign of a serious approach to combating trafficking. The data on trafficking, as is the case with many other clandestine and/or illegal activities, is imprecise, but the experience of NGOs on the ground and the self reporting of Member States about trafficking in their countries do provide enough clear data to indicate the gravity of the situation.
By forming the committee the Religious Congregations want to indicate to the Member States and to the UN System that Civil Society and faith based organizations want to work collaboratively with governments to address the underlying causes of trafficking.
Published 23/06/2011
