Webster University Campus Vienna celebrated its first ever symposium on human trafficking on October 1st at the United Nations in Vienna. The symposium was a Webster student initiative where volunteers from different departments partnered with the United Nations Information Service and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), who provided the premises and in-site support for the event. 

The objective of the symposium was to discuss the main aspects regarding identification and protection of trafficked persons. The adoption of the definition of human trafficking of the Palermo Protocol provided a guide for identifying this crime. 

However, the identification of trafficked persons is still problematic because institutional, political, and cultural practices, among other variables, interfere with their identification. Speakers discussed how trafficked persons were identified and by whom, the extent of the problem of human trafficking, and the impact of legal instruments in identification of trafficked persons. Also discussed was the role of the media in creating awareness as well as perpetrating stereotypes. 

The event was opened by Dr. Arthur Hirsh, Director of Webster University Vienna. He highlighted the links between the United Nations and Webster, as many of its former and current students work in the organization. He also mentioned that Sandeep Chawla, current Director of the Research Analysis and Public Policy Branch of the United Nations Office in Drugs and Crime (UNODC), taught at Webster for more than 25 years. Doris Buddenberg, Senior Manager of UN.GIFT, also welcomed the participants to the event, and introduced the topic by explaining how the first ever agreed definition on human trafficking functions as a guide for identifying and protecting trafficked persons.

The first panel of experts included Ambassador Sychov from Belarus, who presented his country’s initiative to adopt a Global Plan of Action against Human Trafficking, while Caroline Hames from the Thailand-based Global Alliance against Trafficking in Women, talked about the collateral damage of anti-trafficking policies, especially when it comes to the protection of the human rights of trafficked persons. Regina Rusz from the Foreign Ministry of Austria talked about how Austria is implementing different international legal instruments on human trafficking. She also gave very concrete examples of what legal protections are granted to trafficked persons once victims they are identified. 

The second panel focused on the differences about smuggling in persons and trafficked persons. Andreas Halbach, Chief of the Vienna Mission of the International Organization for Migration, explained that human trafficking and smuggling are interlinked because both are sources of profit for transnational criminal groups. Meanwhile, Colonel Gerald Tatzgern from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Interior, challenged the audience by presenting cases where victims of trafficking are forced to get involved in illegal activities, but only identified as victims of a crime through careful, thorough, and compassionate processes of examination. Finally, Riikka Puttonen, Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Unit in UNODC, presented a documentary detailing the different forms, in which people are exploited. 

Another highlight of the symposium was the third panel on new, state-of-the-art human trafficking research. In this panel Gottfried Zürcher, Director of the International Center for Migration Policy Development, and Julia Planitzer, Legal Researcher of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, explained the different problems facing the field of researching human trafficking, such as lack of access to data and the different research focuses that exist around this complex problem. Furthermore, Planitzer explained that countries are responsible for the protection of trafficked persons, and that trafficked persons are entitled to effective remedies, which include the empowerment of the person. Fabrizio Sarrica, Research Expert of UNODC, presented the findings of the Global Report on Human Trafficking published this year. He stressed the fact that we only know the tip of iceberg when it comes to human trafficking and the real extent of less reported forms of exploitation in human trafficking, such as human trafficking for labor exploitation, is still unknown.  

Another highlight of the symposium was the third panel on new, state-of-the-art human trafficking research. In this panel Gottfried Zürcher, Director of the International Center for Migration Policy Development, and Julia Planitzer, Legal Researcher of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, explained the different problems facing the field of researching human trafficking, such as lack of access to data and the different research focuses that exist around this complex problem. Furthermore, Planitzer explained that countries are responsible for the protection of trafficked persons, and that trafficked persons are entitled to effective remedies, which include the empowerment of the person. Fabrizio Sarrica, Research Expert of UNODC, presented the findings of the Global Report on Human Trafficking published this year. He stressed the fact that we only know the tip of iceberg when it comes to human trafficking and the real extent of less reported forms of exploitation in human trafficking, such as human trafficking for labor exploitation, is still unknown.  

In the last panel on media and human trafficking, Blanca Tapia, Public Information Officer from the Office of the Special Representative to Combat Human Trafficking of the OSCE, explained how reporter’s lack of knowledge on how to report cases of human trafficking can compromise the victim’s safety.

Dr. Hirsh, Webster University Vienna and
Dr. Buddenberg, UN.GIFT

Ambassador Alyaksandr Sychov,
Permanent Mission of Belarus

Ms. Hames, Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women and Ms. Rusz, Astrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs

Dr. Weeks, Webster University Vienna

Dr. Puttonen, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Mr. Halbach, International Organizations for Migration Vienna

Colonel Tatzgern, Austrian Federal Ministry of Interior

Dr. Sarrica, United nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Ms. Planitzer, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights

Dr. Löwstedt, Webster University Vienna and Dr. Rohrer, Journalist and Producer of "Fatal Promises"