Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/361046
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 AUGUST 2014 6 News MATTHEW AGIUS THE ministry for home affairs has claimed that a 70% budgetary cut in anti-trafficking funds has not af- fected the provision of services to victims of human trafficking, which were financed from allocations to the different government departments. "In practice, [it] did not affect pre- vention either," the ministry said in its official reply to the US Depart- ment of State's annual Trafficking in People report for 2013, which had listed shortcomings in the sector, and referred to the budget cut. "This year action is being taken in this sphere as well, including in par- ticular through the distribution of awareness-raising material, namely cards. The original financial allo- cation was higher given that at the point, certain basic structures still had to be set up, such as the estab- lishment of the Monitoring Com- mittee, the Task Force and the first training initiatives. Now that the basic structures are in place, the fi- nancial allocations need only be such as to sustain the relevant effort," the ministry said. The United States report issued in June retained Malta in its Tier 2 clas- sification in the fight against human trafficking, but the Maltese govern- ment has expressed its "continued commitment to suppress human trafficking" and provide victim as- sistance services, train government officials and professionals working with vulnerable persons, including Agenzija Appogg and the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS), in order to raise awareness among their clients. The US report had noted that al- though the Maltese government is- sued identification guidelines and started to coordinate intergovern- mental agreements on referring victims to care, "it lacked a formal referral mechanism during the year, which impaired the government's ability to ensure that trafficking vic- tims were recognized and provided care. Furthermore, while the gov- ernment continued to identify victims, including one vic- tim of internal traf- ficking, it did not identify any child victims." In other observa- tions, the report pointed out that although the Vice Squad received specialist training last year, training was still "lacking for the general police force, as well as prosecutors and the judiciary". "The steps taken by the Govern- ment of Malta to improve its victim protection efforts during the report- ing period, while welcome, were not enough. "The lack of a formal referral mech- anism, however, continued to impair the government's ability to ensure that trafficking victims were recog- nized and provided care throughout the year. "In February 2013, the govern- ment's trafficking monitoring com- mittee endorsed written guidelines, drafted by the government with in- put from NGOs, for identifying vic- tims of trafficking. At the close of the reporting period, the government was also in the process of developing guidelines that would formalize ex- isting and new arrangements among government entities involved in vic- tim referral." In its reply to the US report, the government said that the implemen- tation of the Second National Action Plan, approved in January "ensures the completion of tasks carried over from the First National Action Plan, further to enhancing capability at executive level through appropriate action" and implement international commitments by Malta. The reply listed Malta's ongoing actions in regard to the prevention of human trafficking, which includes the convening of the Human Traf- ficking Monitoring Committee and the Stakeholder Task Force of Traf- ficking in Human Beings. Preparations for a national study on human trafficking among mi- grants in Malta is also underway and a set of national indicators for human trafficking have also been disseminated to the relevant stake- holders for implementation. Also in December 2013, the EU Directive on preventing and combating traffick- ing in human beings and protecting its victims was transposed into na- tional legislation, further increasing penalties in respect of human traf- ficking offences. Bucking the general trend in Eu- rope, 2013 statistics reveal a greater number of identified victims since 2003 in Malta and an increase in ar- raignments of such cases, mostly on charges of trafficking in human be- ings, keeping a brothel and living off the earnings of prostitution. Apart from liaising with the EU and other international bodies on this is- sue, as well as communicating with the US Embassy, the government said it was exchanging information and training various professionals in the area of human trafficking. "The Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security is reviewing police procedures and sponsoring training abroad for capacity build- ing. Other training events targeted officials working in 'One-Stop-Shop' community centres; over 150 profes- sionals are reported to have under- taken this training for the benefit of victims of various forms of exploita- tion." The ministry said that a study as- sessing boat migrants who were trafficked before arriving in Malta, or who are vulnerable to trafficking in the future, indicated that most of them do not experience forced re- cruitment or conditions of depend- ence before landing in Malta, "and were therefore not trafficked." "It confirmed however, that the migrants who arrive in Malta gen- erally did not want to come here, wanting to leave as a matter of pri- ority and that this fact did increase their vulnerability to exploitation," the ministry said. Other legal amendments, the min- istry added, had bolstered measures to curb this criminal activity and to provide the appropriate tools for the police and the judiciary to suppress human trafficking in all forms. Advert No: EOI/001/2014 Expression of Interest: Invitation to submit proposals for the provision of properties in Gozo to accommodate persons with disability. The Director (Corporate Services) within the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity notifies that sealed expression of interest documents marked: 'EOI/001/2014 - Expression of Interest: Invitation to submit proposals for the provision of properties in Gozo to accommodate persons with disability.' will be received in the Tender Box, situated at the Contracts and Procurement Section, Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, 106, Melita Street, Valletta, by not later than 10.00 a.m. of Friday, 5th September 2014. Interested parties may request a copy of the Expression of Interest document by not later than Thursday 14th August 2014 by sending an email to contracts-procurement.mfss@gov.mt clearly indicating Advert Number EOI/001/2014. No requests for documents after this date will be accepted. Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity Contracts and Procurement Section 106, Melita Street, Valletta Tel: 25903550 70% budget cut 'did not affect prevention of human trafficking' Government reply to US report on trafficking says Malta reviewing police procedures, investing in training, and that it has raised awareness on human trafficking In 2008, the story of a 21-year-old Swedish woman who claimed to have been held against her will and forced into prostitution in Malta made headlines in the Swedish media Harish Daswani, 38, an Indian entrepreneur in Malta, is pleading not guilty to exploiting, threatening and trafficking Indonesian care worker Oriance Kelin, who said she was force-fed a spoonful of salt after his father complained that his food was too salty.