Conference on human trafficking in the digital age
Members of Parliament from the EU Member States gathered on 14 March in the Hall of Knights for the third interparliamentary conference organised by the States General as part of the Dutch EU Presidency. The focus of this conference was the question of what the influence is of continuing digitisation – has the internet changed patterns in human trafficking, and how can we use internet to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators? During the conference, attention was also drawn to the problem of migration which is currently a very hot issue among politicians and the general public.
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
In the afternoon the conference on human trafficking addressed the migration issue, a topic that dominates political and public debate. It was therefore added to the conference programme. In her opening address, Speaker of the House of Representatives Khadija Arib had already referred to the subject. She quoted Martin Luther King: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” No country can control human trafficking and migration alone, simply because these problems do not stop at our own national borders. Arib: “That is why we need seek a way together to address these two major issues, which impact existential values, such as personal freedom, safety and security. Major discoveries and improvements will be forthcoming only if we exchange knowledge and experience. This holds true not only for government leaders or ministers but also for MPs.” Read more
“The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village tomorrow"
“Technology offers the opportunity to take a stand against human trafficking, both nationally and internationally. In tackling human trafficking, the world has become a large village. We are all only a click on the mouse away from each other.” Thus spoke National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence against Children Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen at the Interparliamentary conference Human Trafficking in the Digital Age, referring to the quote from Bill Gates: “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village tomorrow.” Read more