ARECHIVIC

Assisting and reintegrating children victims of trafficking: promotion and evaluation of best practices in source and destination countries

 

Project Coordinator: Centre for the Study of Democracy - Bulgaria)

Project Partners:          People in Need – Slovakia

                                 Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) - Austria

                                 CENSIS - Italy

                                 Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority - Sweden

                                 University of Pecs Medical School - Hungary

Project duration: 24 months

Project implementation period: 1. April 2011. – 31. Marc 2013.

Trafficking in human being (THB) is one of the most lucrative item of the illegal/ criminal market worldwide and its value is estimated just behind the drogues’ and weapons’ businesses. The number of trafficked children is estimated as high 1.2 million/year by OSCE. The most exposed geographical regions are Africa and South/ Southeastern Asia. The number of trafficked children is growing also continuously and rapidly in the enlarged European Union (accession of twelve new Member States). In terms of the size of the target group, for a number of reasons there are difficulties in assessment. Several reports and statistics confirm that data standing for the provision on trafficking in human beings in general and child trafficking are not very reliable or contradictory for each other, because typically government agency estimates are much lower than estimates produced by NGOs and civic organizations active in victim support.

What is clear that the number of victims is much higher than official statistics show from the investigated cases.

The importance of provision of adequate assistance to victims of trafficking is recognized in various legal instruments. Although international legal and practical instruments for assisting children victims of trafficking have been achieved varied and often limited progress in the EU Member States. Even more the health and mental health aspects of assistance in rehabilitation and reintegration are seriously missing.

Within the frame of University of Pécs Medical School Migrant Health Programs, the  Chair of Clinical Infectology and Migration Health has joined to the EU level consortium, coordinated by the Center for the Study of Democracy and beside the general project’s objectives will primarily be in charge of the health/ mental health and public health aspects of the successful rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims.