Poverty, inequality, discrimination – Let’s stop human trafficking at the roots.   Three United Nations human rights experts* today called for a concerted global response to fight the transnational scourge of trafficking in persons, speaking ahead of the European Anti-Trafficking Day on Saturday 18 October. – Read the full text here  Of specific interest to Good Shepherd is the following quotation “All over the world, child trafficking – often connected to the sale and sexual exploitation of children – is on the rise as a proportion of all human trafficking. Detected cases of child trafficking represent 27 per cent of human trafficking. And, in recent years, the increase has been greater for girls: two out of every three child victims are young girls.”  “…eradication requires coordinated efforts to address its root causes across multiple sectors. It is of paramount importance that countries of origin, transit, and destination, work together to tackle poverty, inequality, discrimination, and other factors causing vulnerability.”  In my panel presentation on Thursday 16th October – part of the events for the international day for the eradication of poverty I focused also on root causes.    Poverty is a consequence, a symptom that something is not working well. Even with 100% attention to ‘poverty as a condition’ this does not address the symptom – because the systemic and structural root causes of poverty are not addressed. The trickle down theory of economics has not changed the situation of poverty. Unfortunately even the development of the new post 2015 sustainable development goals which is underpinned by hopes and desires for a bold and transformative agenda, ‘leaving no one behind – stops short of the structural and systemic changes necessary to address growing inequalities. Poverty is the result of sets of policies at the macroeconomic level coupled with deeply entrenched, attitudes and mindsets – Patriarchy, Power Over, Control, Greed and Lust resulting in the denial of human rights of girls and women, experienced in all forms of Violence Against Girls and Women – Domestic Violence, Poverty, Sexual Abuse, Human Trafficking and Prostitution.

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Urmila Bhoola, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and Francois Crepeau, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

Maria Grazia Giammarinaro will be in New York on Friday 24th and I had the pleasure of meeting meeting Maud de Boer-Buquicchio on Tuesday 14th

We congratulate both rapporteurs on their appointments, support them in their mandate and wish them every success.  I wish to include also Philip Alston the new rapporteur for extreme poverty and human rights.  I met him on Thursday evening when he addressed law students at NYU (New York University)