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Trafficking: a crime against humanity

Today, human trafficking is the most profitable illegal and criminal enterprise worldwide, after drug dealing and weapon trade.

Its victims – estimated over 2.5 million people per year, mostly women and children- are forced to live and work under absurd and inhumane conditions and undergo any kind of abuse - mainly sexual, become organ donors against their will, which often costs their lives or, at best, it makes them disabled for life.

The causes for trafficking and its rapid increase are various: on the one hand the forces of evil are powerful and widely spread and on the other, wars, violent conflicts, natural disasters, the global economic crisis, unemployment; generally, the plight of poverty, orphanhood and immigration waves can easily create victims. In addition to those, the lack of strict legislation against traffickers, the insufficiency in mechanisms for the protection of human rights, for our alertness and for suppression to the phenomenon make the causes of trafficking boom evident.

It is worth noting that in some countries trafficking is not considered a crime, while the relevant penalties for the traffickers in persons are lenient, even more so than those for drug dealers.

The main cause, however, for the commitment of this crime against humanity and human dignity is the demand, i.e. the existence of willing customers: If there weren’t people who were willing to exploit other people with the most vulgar and inhuman way, those who trade human beings would not have a motive to set their traps.

Trafficking exists due to people who do not respect human life, who do not hesitate to infringe basic human rights for their own profit or any other benefit.
Regarding the rapid growth of trafficking, the main reasons are considered to be the lack of cross-country collaboration and co-ordination of actions for its suppression up to now, as well as the lack of policies that fight human trafficking.
It is therefore, easy to comprehend that trafficking is a crime that cannot be confronted unless we all join forces against it. No civilised person of heighten awareness will remain inactive in this fight or tolerate such an inhuman exploitation to people by people. Indifference here is equivalent to complicity!

The “Foundation for the Child and Family” participates in the worldwide campaign “End Human Trafficking Now” aiming at fighting trafficking, which initiated by the “Suzanne Mubarak Women' s International Peace Movement” and collaborates with the UN.GIFT (United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking), the world organisation against trafficking founded by the United Nations Organisation aiming at organising and promoting the worldwide campaign against human trafficking. The Foundation further collaborates with the Women Leaders' Council of UN.GIFT.

The President of the “Foundation for the Child and Family”, Ms Marianna V. Vardinoyannis is member of the Board of Trustees of the “Suzanne Mubarak Women' s International Peace Movement” and a member of the “Women Leaders' Council” of UN.GIFT.

In the frame of its actions against trafficking, the “Foundation for the Child and Family” organised the Round table “Business Community against the Trafficking of Human Beings", in Athens, which was the first step of the worldwide campaign “End Human Trafficking Now”. During the Round Table the moral code of conduct named “The Athens Principles” was composed and signed by distinguished personalities of the business world, who were determined to contribute in the fight against trafficking. The Foundation has also organised a fundraising evening to support the campaign «End Human Trafficking Now». The code “Athens Principles” was then presented in the Global Financial Forum in Davos, The President of the “Foundation for the Child and Family”, Ms Marianna V. Vardinoyannis has participated in the Vienna Forum against trafficking, and was a keynote speaker in the international conference "Human trafficking at the crossroads of East-West” realised in Bahrain.