Preparedness, co-ordination, and action to prevent traffickers exploiting chaos in crises focus of OSCE Ministerial Council side event

When crises strike, traffickers move swiftly to exploit the chaos. This demands urgent, co-ordinated action to protect the most vulnerable. Helping to build a broad coalition to address this challenge was the focus of a side event at the 32nd OSCE Ministerial Council in Vienna today. The event brought together officials from governments and international bodies, experts with lived experience, and civil society to toward developing new, crisis-ready anti-human trafficking responses.

"The persistence of the problem we are here to address should make us pause. Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Palermo Protocol and the OSCE's inaugural Ministerial Council Decision on trafficking in human beings, it's high time to move from ad hoc anti-trafficking interventions to proactive, well-planned and co-ordinated whole-of-society response to face crises and emergencies," said Kari Johnstone, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, who moderated the event.

Discussions highlighted how traffickers adapt rapidly, targeting children, refugees, internally displaced persons, and those facing sudden economic hardship, using diverse forms of exploitation. Recent crises — from the war in Ukraine to the COVID-19 pandemic — have exposed gaps in protection and underscored the need for anti-trafficking strategies that are proactive, adaptable and centered on the needs of victims. 

“Human trafficking is a violation of many human rights, beginning with the rights to dignity, freedom, and personal integrity. We must therefore put human rights at the heart of all responses to human trafficking,” said Tea Jaliashvili, ODIHR’s First Deputy Director. “Particularly during times of crisis, the three key priorities must be to analyze emerging exploitation trends to strengthen prevention efforts, set up flexible national referral mechanisms that can be quickly adapted in emergency situations, and promote the inclusion of survivor perspectives and experience in all crisis-response strategies.”

To prevent human trafficking surges in crises, the participants called for the inclusion of anti-trafficking measures in all crisis response plans. They emphasized the importance of enhancing emergency preparedness in National Action Plans to combat human trafficking, strengthening cross-sector partnerships and training, and prioritizing proactive victim identification and support, even when resources are limited.

They discussed how traffickers are increasingly exploiting digital spaces and new vulnerabilities, underscoring the crucial role of co-ordinated, forward-looking in protecting people. The scale, diversity, and speed of trafficking as well as the need for immediate, co-ordinated action to close protection gaps and ensure no one is left behind was also underscored.  

The side event was organized by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, in partnership with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR),  and the OSCE Transnational Threats Department.