Austria
- Generally
- Contacts
The Task Force on Human Trafficking, which is headed by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (FMEIA), was set up by a Ministerial Council Resolution in November 2004 and charged with coordinating and intensifying the measures taken by Austria in fighting this crime. The regular meetings of the Task Force on Human Trafficking are chaired by the FMEIA. These meetings are attended by representatives of all competent ministries, including the outsourced divisions, the federal provinces and non-governmental organisations. Regular contacts and the intensive cooperation within the Task Force promote mutual trust and lay a sound foundation for concrete and practical progress.
The first Austrian National Coordinator on Combating Human Trafficking, a senior official at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, who is also the Head of the Austrian Task Force against Human Trafficking, was nominated on 10 March 2009 by the Austrian government. At the moment, it is not foreseen to appoint a National Rapporteur (as it was established e.g. in the Netherlands) in Austria.
Close cooperation with the federal provinces at all levels (prevention, victim protection, criminal prosecution and international cooperation) is playing an important role in this context. As a result of this cooperation, contact persons for matters relating to human trafficking were appointed in every federal province (13 in total) last year.
Prevention
An important goal in the fight against human trafficking is raising the Austrian public’s awareness on this issue. Consequently a number of events that attracted both public and media attention were organised in 2007 and 2008, including the discussion platform “Joining Forces Against Human Trafficking” (Gemeinsam gegen Menschenhandel) held on 18 October 2007 (EU Anti-Trafficking Day). This event was opened jointly by the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, the Federal Minister of Justice, the Federal Minister for Women Media and Civil Service and the Federal Minister of the Interior. October 2008 the Austrian NGO LEFÖ-IBF organized an international symposium on work, migration, rights: “Strategies against Trafficking in women”. Another recent example is the public preparatory conference for the World Congress against the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, which took place in October 2008 in Vienna.
Supported by Austria, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organised an event entitled “UN.GIFT – Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking” at the Vienna International Center (Austria Center Vienna) from 13 to 15 February 2008. As a headquarters state of important international organisations, Austria tries to make the best possible use of synergies opening up in this context.
Measures were also launched by the Federal Ministry of the Interior to further sensitise law enforcement officers and border management officers in particular to the issue of human trafficking.
Cooperation with Austria-based foreign representations of countries of origin was further intensified. In this context the inclusion of the topic of human trafficking in consular staffs’ training curriculum and the dissemination of information folders in the respective national language at the Austrian representations abroad contribute to further raising staff’s awareness and sensitising them to the topic of human trafficking before issuing a visa.
Victim protection
Austria attributes major importance to offering professional care and support to victims of human trafficking. In this connection attention should be drawn to the efforts undertaken by LEFÖ-IBF (Intervention Centre for Migrant Women Affected by Human Trafficking). In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, preliminary works are currently underway to establish provisions enabling LEFÖ-IBF to officially take care of victims of human trafficking on nationwide basis. LEFÖ-IBF is funded by the Austrian Federal Government (Women’s Directorate within the Federal Chancellery and Federal Ministry of the Interior) and resources were increased substantially in 2007 and 2008. Moreover an additional apartment to accommodate victims of human trafficking temporarily was also installed.
According to international organisations and relevant experts, Austria is a model country in terms of victim protection. Victims of human trafficking are, for instance, granted a period of 30 days to recover and reflect, which is not tied to any cooperation with the authorities. Austria has undertaken not to take any measures resulting in a termination of their stay during this 30-day period of reflection. Once it has been determined that the relevant individuals are victims of human trafficking, residence permits for a period of validity of at least six months can be issued for humanitarian reasons for these persons (and under certain circumstances also for their children). An inclusion in the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s witness protection system can also be taken into consideration, if there is reason to believe that this victim of human trafficking is exposing him/herself to danger because of the evidence he/she has given. It is also possible to extend the witness protection programme to include close relatives.
Law enforcement and criminal prosecution
An important element in successfully fighting human trafficking is an ongoing national and international exchange of information and experience among the institutions concerned with this issue. In the field of law enforcement and criminal prosecution a number of training seminars and further education activities on the topics of effective detection and prosecution of human trafficking have been organised for judges, magistrates, public prosecutors and law enforcement officers. Border management officers receive intensive instruction on the topic of human trafficking, particularly in the context of the enlargement of the Schengen area, in order to be able to detect suspected cases of human trafficking.
International cooperation
A large number of the activities undertaken by Austria aim to contribute to improving the situation in the countries of origin. In this context South East Europe is one of the priority regions of the efforts launched under the Austrian Development Cooperation and Cooperation with Eastern Europe/Austrian Development Agency (OEZA/ADA).
Another major challenge in the fight against human trafficking is the collection of reliable and comparable data in all EU Member States. Austria supports all the relevant activities within the EU aimed at elaborating directives and standards for the collection of data on the topic of human trafficking. In this context Austria chairs a concrete project in which it cooperates with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and five other EU Member States as well as Europol and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). The findings of the relevant works should be available in the spring of 2009. International cooperation is complemented inter alia by the activities of Federal Ministry of the Interior’s liaison officers who are stationed in the majority of countries of origin and transit.
Challenges
The Task Force on Human Trafficking is committed to further promoting and intensifying joint action in the fight against human trafficking. The Task Force on Human Trafficking has also defined the following priorities for its activities:
- Improvement of data collection, including the identification of victims of human trafficking.
- Proactive cooperation in developing a practice-oriented monitoring instrument.
- Information/awareness-raising campaigns and events that attract public attention in order to sensitise the Austrian public to the topic of human trafficking.
- Creation of a pool of experts, who can be dispatched to any place in Austria to contribute their expert knowledge to awareness-raising events.
- Elaboration of training concepts for stakeholders concerning the topic of human trafficking.
- Discussion and development of measures and activities aimed at improving victim protection and the care and support granted to trafficked persons.
- Intensification of the relevant activities in the field of law enforcement and criminal prosecution, particularly through international cooperation.
- Enhancement of the relevant activities in the field of child trafficking, including the elaboration of a comprehensive care/support and cooperation concept at the federal and province levels.
- Development of international projects on preventive measures in the countries of origin.
- Provision of access to health care services as outlined in the government programme.
- Additional efforts aimed at further enhancing access to the labour market, housing and education for victims of human trafficking.
- Improvement of data collection, including the identification of victims of human trafficking.
- Proactive cooperation in developing a practice-oriented monitoring instrument.
- Information/awareness-raising campaigns and events that attract public attention in order to sensitise the Austrian public to the topic of human trafficking.
- Creation of a pool of experts, who can be dispatched to any place in Austria to contribute their expert knowledge to awareness-raising events
- Elaboration of training concepts for stakeholders concerning the topic of human trafficking.
- Discussion and development of measures and activities aimed at improving victim protection and the care and support granted to trafficked persons.
- Intensification of the relevant activities in the field of law enforcement and criminal prosecution, particularly through international cooperation.
- Enhancement of the relevant activities in the field of child trafficking, including the elaboration of a comprehensive care/support and cooperation concept at the federal and province levels.
- Development of international projects on preventive measures in the countries of origin.
- Provision of access to health care services as outlined in the government programme.
- Additional efforts aimed at further enhancing access to the labour market, housing and education for victims of human trafficking.
The Task Force on Human Trafficking suggested the following mandate for the Austrian National Coordinator on Combating Human Trafficking.
Chair of the Task Force on Human Trafficking (TF TH)
Mandate of the National Coordinator on Combating Human Trafficking
- Convocation of four meetings of the TF TH annually
- Convocation of extraordinary meetings of the TF TH on request of members of the TF TH
- Preparation of a TF TH report on the measures taken and planned to combat trafficking in human beings
- Continuous monitoring of the implementation of the National Action Plan and reporting on this to the TF TH
- Information of the TF TH on relevant international developments
- Taking of initiatives concerning priorities in the activities of the TF TH
- Representation of the TF TH in public
- Representation of the TF TH in expert bodies and international fora
- Contact for national and international organisations
- The National Coordinator may have himself/herself represented in his/her activities internally and externally by the Permanent Participants of the TF TH and the institutions attending the meetings.