On 24 February the Executive Director of Frontex, Ilkka Laitinen, attended the Final Ministerial Conference on Guidelines for the Collection of Data on Trafficking in Human Beings which took place in Vienna – a joint initiative of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Austrian Ministry of Interior.
Mr. Laitinen stressed that the role of Frontex in the fight against trafficking in human beings must be placed in the wider concept of Integrated Border Management, which also includes the detection and investigation of cross-border crime.
“Frontex can contribute to the fight against Trafficking in Human Beings by increasing the awareness of border management authorities to address this type of crime” – he said.
The supply of risk analyses to Member States and the development of common strategies to tackle trafficking through ports of entry or border crossing points as well as specialised training of border guards are only a few of the many ways in which Frontex can assist in a coordinated fight against human trafficking in Europe. He also emphasised the importance of cooperation with national law-enforcement agencies, Europol, Interpol, IOM and UNHCR, and with other governmental and non-governmental organisations when dealing with this worrying phenomenon.
Mr Laitinen also underlined the importance of appropriate training of border guards when dealing with victims of human trafficking: “The human aspect is particularly important when dealing with this phenomenon. Frontex’s activities in combating trafficking in human beings should have special consideration for the most vulnerable. Trained interviewers should be used to deal with potential victims of trafficking especially women and children” – he said.
Frontex will provide training to Member States’ border guard authorities, particularly focusing on strengthening their capabilities to identify and properly handle victims of trafficking. Frontex also serves as a repository of good practices with regard to identification of victims of trafficking.