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From uncovering major human trafficking and migrant smuggling routes to exploring how criminal organizations move their illicit profits, a landmark international forum organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is set to help improve international cooperation against these crimes.
The first-ever International Forum of Prosecutors Countering Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, funded by the European Union (EU), will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 4 to 6 December.
The event will bring together prosecutors from more than 60 countries from the South, as well as experts from UNODC and international organizations and agencies such as the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (EUROJUST) and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL).
The Forum aims to establish a robust global network of prosecutors, fostering cross-border cooperation to dismantle criminal networks while ensuring that the rights of smuggled migrants and victims of trafficking are upheld.
Effectively combatting trafficking and smuggling depends on the ability of countries to share information and coordinate actions. This includes understanding where migrants are recruited, how victims of trafficking are exploited, the transport routes used and how illicit profits are moved.
However, barriers such as differing legal systems, language challenges, limited resources and insufficient data often hamper cooperation among law enforcement professionals in different countries.
The Forum will address these challenges, seeking to strengthen communication, information-sharing and collaboration among prosecutors in the South.
Key discussions at the Forum will revolve around identifying emerging trafficking and smuggling routes, exploring how organized crime adapts itself and exploits new opportunities, examining innovative investigative techniques and technologies and raising awareness of the gender dimensions of these crimes.
By facilitating dialogue and knowledge-sharing, the Forum will empower prosecutors to enhance the detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal groups involved in trafficking and smuggling.
The International Forum of Prosecutors Countering Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling is organized by UNODC with financial support from the EU under the project “Promoting Action and Cooperation among Countries at Global Level against Trafficking in Human Beings and the Smuggling of Migrants” (PACTS).