Minister Grabar-Kitarović took part in Geneva at the female foreign ministers working meeting on human trafficking prevention

Minister Grabar-Kitarović informed all present with Croatia’s achievements in fighting human trafficking, from legal framework to processing the perpetrators and helping the victims. The minister also reported on the Croatia’s National Program for fighting illegal human trafficking for the period of 2005-2008, as well as the ratification of the Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and the campaign it has launched against human trafficking.

The ministers agreed that the victims of trafficking are mostly women and children, and invited the governments not to overlook that fact in their programs. It was pointed out that the fundamental cause of trafficking is poverty, gender inequality and disrespect for human rights. The importance of international, regional and subregional co-operation was emphasised, as well as the co-operation between transitive countries, end-countries and countries which victims come from.

All countries are obliged to take adequate measures to prevent human trafficking, punish the perpetrators and help the victims. Failure to do so will jeopardise the fundamental human rights of the trafficking victims. At the end of the meeting, the ministers pointed out the numerous war on gender discrimination anniversaries that are being celebrated this year, such as the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the 5th anniversary of the Millennium Summit.

The next meeting of the female foreign ministers and other high officials is due this autumn in New York, during the session of the UN General Assembly.