Trafficking in persons has become a major challenge for countries all around the world and especially the developing countries of Global South.
According to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Prevent Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking implies “ the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”.

Non – Aligned Movement has expressed concerns over the phenomenon of slavery and trafficking and has urged the global community as well as its Member States to devise, enforce and strengthen effective measures to combat and eliminate all forms of slavery and trafficking in persons. In this context, NAM has appreciated the role of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. GIFT).

The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. GIFT) was launched in March 2007 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) together with the International Labour Organization (ILO); the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

UN. GIFT was conceived to promote the global fight on human trafficking, on the basis of international agreements reached at the UN. To date, 140 parties have signed the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially women and children. UN. GIFT works with all stakeholders – governments, business, academia, civil society and the media – to support each other’s work, create new partnerships and develop effective tools to fight human trafficking.

According to the Mission Statement, UN. GIFT aims to mobilize state and non – state actors to eradicate human trafficking by reducing both the vulnerability of potential victims and the demand for exploitation in all its forms; ensuring adequate protection and support to those who fall victim; and supporting the efficient prosecution of the criminals involved, while respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons. In carrying out its mission, UN. GIFT works to increase the knowledge and awareness on human trafficking; promote effective rights-based responses; build capacity of state and non – state actors; and foster partnerships for joint action against human trafficking.

UN.GIFT has 10 objectives: 1) Awareness – demonstrate to the world that human trafficking exists and mobilize people to stop it; 2) Strengthen prevention – to inform vulnerable groups and alleviate the factors that make people vulnerable to trafficking. 3) Demand – to attack the problem at its source by lowering incentives to trade and lowering demand for the products and services of exploited people. 4) Support and protection of victims – to ensure medical, psychological and material assistance, keeping in mind the special needs of women and children and people at risk, such as those in refugee camps and conflict zones; 5) Law enforcement – to improve information exchange on trafficking routes, trafficker profiles and victim identification in order to dismantle criminal groups, convict more traffickers and ensure that the punishment fits the crime. 6) International commitments – to ensure that international commitments are turned into national laws targeting technical and legal assistance to countries in greatest need and to monitor implementation; 7) Data – to deepen global understanding of the scope and nature of trafficking in persons by more data collection and analysis, better data – sharing, joint research initiatives and evidence- based reports on global trafficking trends; 8) Partnership – to build up regional and thematic networks involving civil society, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector; 9) Resources – to attract and leverage resources for the sustainable funding of projects around the world committed to ending human trafficking; and 10) Member States’ participation – to give Member States a strong sense of ownership in the process and create long – term momentum.

NAM has called upon Member States to prevent and fight the phenomenon of human trafficking and implement the action outlined in UN. GIFT.