COATNET gets prepared to yet another year fighting trafficking in human beings

The Network of Christian Organisations against Trafficking in Human Beings (COATNET) held its Annual Conference in Bucharest from the 8^th to the 10^th of October under the title “Strengthening the Ecumenical Actions against Contemporary Dynamics of Human Trafficking”, gathering more than 30 COATNET affiliates from around the world. 

This edition of the Annual Conference had a special relevance since it was the last one organised under the legal authority of Caritas Europa. As the Secretary General of Caritas Europa, Mr. Marius Wanders explained during his opening speech “…as the network [COATNET] has grown exponentially in recent years and increasingly also includes Christian organisations from outside Europe, it is fitting and appropriate that as of the 1^st of January 2010 it will be embedded in the structures of Caritas Internationalis and will be operating under its legal authority”.

Taking place just few days ahead of the European Anti-Trafficking Day (18^th of October), and the EU Ministerial Anti-trafficking Conference (Brussels, 19^th - 20^th Oct.), the Conference endorsed a Paper from the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women and La Strada International intituled: “A Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Approach towards Trafficking in Human Beings”, calling on EU leaders to increase the cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination.

The first day of the Conference was dedicated to a series of public speeches and debates. Hosted by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the day started with a series of speeches about the anti-trafficking engagement of the Churches in Romania .

Subsequently, three debates were organised with representatives from different churches, NGOs and representatives of the Romanian Ministry of Interior, who discussed about the cooperation state-NGOs, the ecumenical inter-faith and cross-border cooperation, and the state of Romania trafficking as a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking.

The second day of the conference. The participants are listening to the Coordinator’s annual report

The following day was dedicated to internal activities related to the work of COATNET, such as sharing of practices, planning COATNET’s work plan for 2010 and approving COATNET’s new position in the Caritas Confederation.

On the third and last day, participants worked together in a workshop intituled “Men, Women and Trafficking”. Rev. Msgr. Robert J. Vitillo (Head of the international delegation of Caritas Internationalis in Geneva ) launched the session with a key-note speech in which he analysed the roots of trafficking from a theological point of view; "It is not the relationship between men and women, as conceived and created by God that fuels the trafficking. This social ill is, in fact, the result of sin and human weakness that men and women do not always follow and put into practice the relationship of respect, love, and communion that God entrusted to them. Thus such distortions in male-female relationships fuel trafficking and other abuses against the dignity of the human person”.  

At the end of this day, a list of recommendations was issued, addressing COATNET affiliates:

• We all strive towards the same goal: true gender equality. Men and women must have equal status and be equally respected, keeping in mind their similarities and their differences
• The social acceptance of exploitation of human beings must be challenged
• We shall not neglect the magnitude of women trafficked for sexual exploitation, but still acknowledge and raise awareness of the fact that millions of men are also trafficked for many other purposes around the world

COATNET's next advocacy action will be to participate at the EU Anti-trafficking Ministerial Conference ( Brussels , 19^th - 20^th Oct.). The network will be represented by Mr. Peter Verhaeghe , Caritas Europa Migration Officer.

Source: http://www.caritas-europa.org/ code/EN/migr.asp?Page=986