Conference “Human trafficking – a crime with too few convictions and too many victims”

The conference “Human trafficking – a crime with too few convictions and too many victims” at The Ministry of Interior of Latvia on the 21-22 February brought together many international experts, from judges, to independent researchers, authorities. The Latvian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Andris Pelšs, Minister of Interior Sandis Ģirģens and CBSS Deputy Director General Bernd Hemingway addressed the attendees, all underlining the importance of working together and sharing expertise to counter human trafficking in all CBSS member states and beyond.

The focus of the conference was on ways to better the prosecution process to improve conviction rates as well as to protect victims’ rights. This can be achieved by breaking with stereotypes surrounding both, the victims and the traffickers, and by deepening the understanding of the victims’ perspectives, not only to avoid re-traumatisation, but also to better use the information provided by the victim to increase the chances of conviction.