Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1506906
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 SEPTEMBER 2023 8 COMMERCIAL National initiatives to fight human trafficking THE collaboration between government entities, the pri- vate sector, and civil organi- zations is crucial in order to reach and help the victims of human trafficking. This was the main message of the Blue Heart Campaign that the United Nations organises every year to raise awareness on this crime. Human traffick- ing is a serious crime because it deprives victims of their digni- ty and their fundamental rights and turns its victims into mod- ern slaves. The symbol of the Blue Heart campaign shows a blue heart which symbolizes the sadness and pain of the victims of traf- ficking and the cold heart of those who commit this crime. The United Nations has en- couraged governments, en- forcement agencies, public ser- vices and civil society to strive and improve their efforts to prevent human trafficking, as well as to identify and give the necessary support to its vic- tims, while criminal proceed- ings are taken against those in- volved in carrying out human trafficking. During the past month, na- tional entities, from the private sector and from civil socie- ty, including the trade unions joined together to strengthen the collaboration in the fight against trafficking. This phe- nomenon needs cooperation both at national and interna- tional level because it has be- come a crime without borders at a time when travel has be- come easier and also facilitated by technology. Human trafficking is done for various purposes which in the end always include the ex- ploitation of the victims. The most common purposes for hu- man trafficking, among others, are for the purposes of forced labor and of prostitution. The Human Rights Initiatives Unit has taken part in various activities, including with the Financial Intelligence Analy- sis Unit (FIAU) and with the Foundation for Social Welfare Services. With these initiatives, the cooperation between pub- lic institutions continued to be strengthened in order to be able to deal with cases of hu- man trafficking and the risks of modern slavery. The financial sector plays an important role in the fight against human trafficking be- cause certain financial trans- actions can lead to the discov- ery and capture of criminals and people involved in hu- man trafficking. Through the FAST project, the FIAU will have a tool that indicates the possibility of suspicious finan- cial transactions linked to the crime of human trafficking. The Human Rights Initia- tives Unit is fully committed to working hand in hand with other agencies and entities in its mission to strengthen the fight against human trafficking. It does this, among others, with campaigns that raise aware- ness, with thematic meetings and with training to the of- ficers who are responsible for identifying potential cases of human trafficking. This work reaches its climax within the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Traf- ficking which includes repre- sentatives of the ministries. This Committee identifies and implements actions in the field of human trafficking. Experts from the European Council were invited to the third meeting of the Anti-Hu- man Trafficking Inter-Min- isterial Committee to discuss the revision of the European Union Directive on the preven- tion and fight against human trafficking. The Directive inter alia pro- hibits forced marriages, illegal adoptions, trafficking facili- tated by technology and other forms of exploitation. Malta is in the process of im- plementing the recommenda- tions of the Group of Experts on the Action against Human Trafficking of the Council of Europe (GRETA). For this pur- pose, a technical group is being convened on legislative amend- ments in which legal officers from the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality, from the Ministry of Justice and from the Ministry for Foreign and European Af- fairs and Trade. These initiatives are focused to ensure that Malta fulfills its obligations in the fight against human trafficking with empha- sis on prevention, prosecution of traffickers and assistance to victims. For more information visit: an- titraffickingmalta.gov.mt and https://www.facebook.com/ antitraffickingmalta/