No Future for Trafficking

Combatting human trafficking is, in most cases, reactive rather than proactive; perpetrators are tracked down, proceedings are conducted, victims are supported and data is collected. In addition, the manifestations of human trafficking are changing rapidly with current world events as well as the advance in digitalisation. As a result, we are facing new challenges. At the same time, however, new opportunities are emerging to pre-empt perpetrators and protect vulnerable populations. For instance, with new digital campaigns, such as for displaced persons from Ukraine, we are increasingly able to warn of the dangers of trafficking. The question remains: What developments are yet to come and what possibilities do we have to counteract human trafficking at all levels in order to ensure a future without this grave violation of human rights?

With the title "No Future for Trafficking", the Vienna Conference on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings attempted to move from reaction to action. Held annually on the occasion of the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, this year's conference aimed to build on the themes of the last three years - digitalisation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the financial aspects of trafficking - to identify how human trafficking will develop in the future and how it can be prevented. This year's conference did once more take place in a hybrid format; physically, at the Vienna School of International Studies as well as virtually, to allow as many experts as possible to participate.

Consisting of one panel discussion and five thematic workshops (two of which are due to the current situation dedicated to the Ukraine and displaced persons from this country), the event sought to find out how anti-trafficking stakeholders can stay one step ahead of perpetrators. To guarantee a comprehensive approach, the event did engage intergovernmental institutions, international organisations, NGOs, and representatives from business and academia.

The fight against human trafficking has been a priority of Austrian foreign policy since the establishment of the Task Force on combating Human Trafficking in 2004. The Task Force has organised the conference since 2007 and since 2011 in cooperation with the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the OSCE and once again with the Principality of Liechtenstein.