Workshops

When filling out the registration form, we kindly request you to choose ONE of the following workshops. Please note that two of them are held in German and two in English.

Workshop 1 “Human Trafficking – Migration – Corona. Implications for Police Work in the Area of Human Trafficking” (GERMAN)

Brigadier Gerald Tatzgern, Head of the Central Office for Combating Illegal Immigrant Smuggling/Human Trafficking

Trafficking in human beings (THB), is the “modern slavery of the 21st century” and a serious violation of human rights which affects women, men and children. The coronavirus pandemic aggravated the situation in the fight against THB, making it more difficult to identify victims who are forced into illegal practice of their services. What does it mean for the victims? How can we identify them and provide necessary help? It should be our common duty to find new approaches in the fight against THB especially to support the identification of victims.

Workshop 2 “Widely spread“ – How a Virus helps to expose Child Trafficking” (ENGLISH)

Astrid Winkler, ECPAT Austria; Helmut Sax, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights; Dorothea Czarnecki, ECPAT Germany/Deputy Managing Director; Olivier Peyroux, Sociologist

The Corona pandemic has not only created new immediate health risks but also highlighted existing structural deficiencies in our response to persons trapped in difficult socioeconomic situations – which is particularly true in the case of children at risk of trafficking and exploitation. Restrictions intended to fight the pandemic have also led to increased trafficking recruitment over the internet and social media, while making access to services and protection more difficult – from safe shelter to missing resources for prevention measures. Together with international experts, this Workshop will discuss current lessons learned and new strategies to counter child trafficking in Austria and in the European context.

Workshop 3 “Agricultural Working Conditions – Increased Exploitation and Human Trafficking due to Corona?” (GERMAN)

Katie Klaffenböck, International Organisation for Migration (IOM); Nadja Schuster, Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC); Alexander Spiegelfeld, Author of the European Migration Network (EMN) study “Seasonal workers from third countries in Austria”, IOM Austria; Walter Medosch, Director of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Agricultural Workers; Elisa Kahlhammer, Coordinator of the SEZONIERI Campaign of the PRO-GE (Production Trade Union), NGOs and independent activists

Exploitative conditions in agricultural work often go unreported. High dependence on employers, short-term contracts and the fear of losing work are serious deterrents to reporting abusive practices. In the context of a pandemic which has caused a global economic downturn, restricted mobility of regular labor migration and led to reduced oversight of labor standards, the risks of exploitation and human trafficking in agriculture are even higher – especially for migrant workers.

This Workshop will explore the impact of the pandemic on agricultural migrant workers’ vulnerability to rights abuses, particularly exploitation and human trafficking. Promising practices to strengthen workers’ ability to access their rights and to prevent exploitative practices will be identified.

Workshop 4 “Corona Crisis and Victim Support: The Impact on Trafficked Persons and Heightened Risks of Exploitation” (ENGLISH)

Manfred Buchner, Director of MEN VIA – Support for Men as Victims of Human Trafficking; Jasmina Krunic, Head of Policy and Learning ASTRA Anti-Trafficking Action Serbia; Evelyn Probst, Director of LEFÖ – Intervention Center for Trafficked Women (IBF)

The Corona crisis made risks of exploitation and human trafficking more visible and aggravated the situation for trafficked persons. In this Workshop, the victim protection organisations LEFÖ-IBF and MEN VIA together with the NGO Astra (Serbia) will share insights from their work. On the basis of case studies, we will discuss the impact on trafficked persons, heightened risks of abuse and severe exploitation for vulnerable groups, and link the current situation to the concept of vulnerability and access to rights.