The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, has asked countries in the world to join its convention against human trafficking, it said in a statement available on Thursday.
"The convention is also open to non-European countries and the European Union. I therefore encourage all of them, starting with those Council of Europe member states which have not yet ratified this convention, to join it as soon as possible," said Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, in a statement.
"At last, we have an effective weapon to fight modern slavery."
He said human trafficking represents the third most profitable criminal activity in the world after the arms and narcotics trade.
Every year, more than 600,000 people are sold in Europe. Over 80 percent of the victims are girls and women, 70 percent of whom are forced into sexual servitude, said Davis.
Other victims are traded for the purposes of forced labor, illegal adoptions and organ transplants, he said.
The convention reinforces the prevention of trafficking, strengthens the prosecution of traffickers and protects the human rights and human dignity of the victims.
Among other measures, it renders compulsory the most basic protection and assistance measures for victims, such as the access to medical treatment, translation and interpretation, counseling, information and legal representation and access to education for children.
It also introduces a period of at least 30 days for recovery and reflection by the victims with the possibility of obtaining a temporary residence permit which is not subject to agreement by the victim to cooperate with law enforcement authorities.
The convention prohibits the punishment of victims of trafficking and requires from governments in the countries of destination to discourage demand. In practical terms this means that, for example, authorities should prosecute people who knowingly pay for sex with a victim of human trafficking regardless of the legal status of prostitution in any given country.
It also reinforces international cooperation.
The convention, which enters into force on Friday, has been ratified by 14 countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania and Slovakia.
Source: Xinhua
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