Activities of Barbara LOCHBIHLER related to 2015/2340(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU's external relations (short presentation) DE
Reports (1)
REPORT on the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations PDF (608 KB) DOC (218 KB)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
– having regard to the Action Plan of the Valetta Summit, November 2015,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 a (new)
Citation 30 a (new)
– having regard to the ILO report Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour (2014),
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas trafficking in human beings (THB) constitutes one of the worst forms of human rights abuses, as it turns human beings into commodities, it profoundly and durably violates the dignity and the rights of the victim and affects entire families and communities;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the ILO estimates that there are around 21 million people in forced labour globally, being trafficked for labour and sexual exploitation or being held in slave-like conditions andaccording to the latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 70% of the detected victims are women and girls; whereas 53% of these people 14.2 million were trapped in forced labour, 4.5 million in a s detected forms of exploituation ofglobally account forced sexual exploitation, and 2.2 million in state-imposed40% for forced labour;, whereas women and girls make up 55% of the total, while men and boys account for 45%by 79% of detected female victims were trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, whereby 83% of detected male victims were trafficked for the purpose of forced labour;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas complex and inter-related factors such as systematic and structural discrimination, human rights violations, poverty, inequality, corruption, violent conflict, land confiscation, lack of education, unemployment and dysfunctional labour migration regimes, aggravate the vulnerability of persons to exploitation and abuse as they are left with reduced choices and resources;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas human trafficking is one of the most profitable organised criminal activities in the world, alongside the trade in illegal drugs and arms; whereas according to ILO's most recent estimates, the illicit annual profit of forced labour, including through money laundering, is about US$ 150 billion, whereby 90 percent of victims are estimated to be exploited in the private economy and two- thirds of the profits stem from commercial sexual exploitation, making it the most lucrative form of exploitation;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas according to the ILO the Asia- Pacific region accounts for 56% of the estimated number of victims of forced labour globally, including for sexual exploitation, by far the largest share worldwide;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood countries, sexual exploitation is the main cause of the reported trafficking in persons; whereas systematic discrimination and racism lead to the Romani communities- both male and female- being particularly vulnerable to trafficking for various purposes;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas the Commission appointed an EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator in 2010 to improve coordination and coherence between EU institutions, agencies and States as well as non-EU countries and international actors;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls that trafficking in human beings is a transnational crime of global nature and that any measures aiming at fighting it should take into account the root causes and global trends; underlines in this respect the importance of a consistent approach of the internal and external dimensions of the EU's policies to fight THB;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Denounces the fact that THB is a highly lucrative business and that the proceeds from this criminal activity are largely re- injected into the global economy and financial system; calls on all States and relevant actors engaged in this field to aim to change trafficking from a "low risk/high reward" business to a "high risk/low reward" one;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers it essential that strategies aimed at the prevention of THB address the factors facilitating THB; calls also on all States to effectively implement their obligations under the Palermo Protocol in order to discourage the demand side of this crime, which can also be considered a root cause;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is of the view that financial investigations, which trace, seize and recover criminal assets, and action against money laundering play a crucial role in combating trafficking; recalls that there is a need for more data and a stronger focus on money laundering activities; calls on the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts in the field of financial investigations and to reinforce cooperation with third countries to track and confiscate the proceeds from criminal activities; calls for confiscated assets to be used to support and compensate victims of trafficking;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that recruitment-related abuses appear to affect and flourish in all countries and regions worldwide and are closely linked with trafficking in human beings either by recruitment agencies being directly involved in THB through deceiving or coercive recruitment practices or by creating vulnerabilities for exploitive work by demanding high recruitment fees, making particularly migrants and low-skilled workers financially vulnerable or dependent;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recommends to all relevant actors to recognise those trapped in forced labour as workers and not only as victims of THB, to strengthen workers' rights in order to empower them and to prevent abuse and exploitation;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Urges the EU to continue its efforts in combating the phenomenon of child soldiers, notably through supporting governments in addressing this issue and local civil society groups active on the ground; calls on the EU to urge third countries to ratify and implement relevant international standards, including the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the inclusion of forced begging as a form of trafficking in human beings by the Directive 2011/36/EU; calls on the Member States to harmonise national legislation and on third-country governments to enact and enforce legal provisions; insists on the need to conduct training for police and other officials for proper identification and referral in order to secure adequate assistance for the victims; underlines that many of the victims come from a poor and marginalised environment; calls for prevention measures to be focused on reducing the vulnerability of groups at risk, starting with basic structures such as education or labour integration and on increasing the number of shelters and places to assist vulnerable persons;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the EU and Member States to raise awareness among their staff about the EU Guidelines on the identification of victims of trafficking in human beings, as well as the Commission publication on the EU rights of victims of trafficking, and encourages the active use of them;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on governments to put in place firewalls between immigration authorities and labour inspectorates, in order to encourage victims to lodge complaints and to ensure that if cases of trafficking in human beings are detected that there is no fear of action taken by immigration authorities against victims;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Encourages targeted funding by the EU for local NGOs to identify and support victims of THB as well as to raise awareness among populations vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking; welcomes in that context the role of media which can help raise awareness and inform about risks;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Calls for an integrated response to trafficking in human beings, bringing together various different actors, mandates and perspectives both nationally and internationally;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls to put in place a joint anti- trafficking mechanism for cooperation between the main origin, transit and destination countries, to facilitate and improve the gathering and exchange of information among all relevant actors, including the establishment of a cooperative mechanism for the confiscation of the proceeds of trafficking;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls for enhanced coordination and cooperation among key actors, such as Member States, third countries, international and EU agencies, NGOs and public and private social services when addressing the root causes and setting up strategies to eradicate THB;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the EU to review its assistance programmes regarding trafficking in human beings, to make funding more targeted and to make THB an area of cooperation in its own right; urges the Commission to regularly re-evaluate its list of priority countriein that context encourages the increase of resources for services dealing with THB within the EU institutions; urges the Commission to regularly re-evaluate its list of priority countries, including the selection criteria, to ensure that it reflects the realities on the ground and to make them more flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and emerging trends;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Calls on the EU and its Member States to implement the actions relating to the fight against trafficking in the current Human Rights Action Plan and in line with the EU Strategy against trafficking in human beings, but going beyond the identified priority countries;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls on all Member States to ratify all relevant international instruments, agreements and legal obligations and to step up efforts to make the fight against trafficking in human beings more effective, coordinated and coherent; encourages the EU to call for the ratification of all relevant international instruments, including by making them a GSP+ requirement;