On 11 December 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UNIS Vienna organized in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the University of Vienna, the UN Academic Impact Initiative and the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) an e-lecture on "Trafficking Prevention and the Victims: New United Nations and Academic Perspectives".
Participants from all over the world took part and followed the webinar both online and in person at the Vienna International Centre (VIC).
UNIS Vienna Director Janos Tisovszky welcomed the participants and pointed to the special role of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the UN Academic Impact as institutional partners of the webinar. To promote and share a culture of "intellectual social responsibility" for such global goals as promoting human rights, protecting the environment and ending wars, the Academic Impact initiative was launched in 2010 by the UN Department of Public Information and aims to create new partnerships between the United Nations and the academic world.
"In those past two years the initiative has witnessed a range of activities by its member institutions enriching the vast global landscape of ideas in diverse forms - conceptual thought, practical experience, the written word and artistic expression - and this webinar is yet another important addition to this wealth of activities.", he stressed.
The Chairperson of the twenty-first session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol gave a welcome address: "The effects of globalization have increased the propensity for people to migrate in search for a better life and employment opportunities. It must be recognized, however, that migrants are often victims of crime. Once in the foreign lands, migrants, migrant workers and their families are vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation, particularly migrant women and migrant children. Violence can take many forms, including trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, racial discrimination, hate crimes, and victimization… the prevention of trafficking in persons requires coordinated and comprehensive responses."
After a series of pre-recorded lectures by academics and experts from international organizations, the participants were invited to pose questions to an expert panel, moderated by ACUNS Vienna Liaison Officer Michael Platzer.
Professor Winterdyk from the Centre for Criminology and Justice Research, Mount Royal University Canada, participated online and pointed in his presentation to the fact that human trafficking is now the second biggest crime and affects every country in the world.
Initiator of the webinar and Professor at the University of Vienna, Professor Slawomir Redo, discussed the issue of crime prevention with the participants of the webinar.
Fabrizio Sarrica, Research Expert at UNODC, addressed questions on the recently published UNODC 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons.
Other questions included issues such as assistance and protection for victims, identification of victims and perpetrators, border control, and the distinction between trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
Further information and details on the webinar.
