AUSTRIA, October 12 - On 13 October 2022, the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna hosted the annual Conference on Combating Human Trafficking, which is organised by the Austrian Human Trafficking Task Force.

The fight against human trafficking is a priority for Austria’s foreign policy. For this reason, the conference is held every year on the EU Anti-Trafficking Day. The conference began with speeches by Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs; Ambassador Petra Schneebauer, the National Coordinator for Combating Human Trafficking; and Ambassador Emil Brix, Director of the Diplomatic Academy, among others.

This annual conference helps us find new and even more effective ways to fight human trafficking. Human trafficking is and always will be a serious violation of human rights. The more effectively states and relevant institutions are connected, the harder it will be for human traffickers to carry out their criminal schemes. We are optimistic that human trafficking will meet more and more resistance every year, and that it will thus soon no longer have a future,

said Secretary-General Launsky-Tieffenthal during the opening of the conference, emphasising the importance of the fight against human trafficking.

Under the motto “No Future for Trafficking”, this year’s conference primarily discussed human trafficking against the backdrop of digitalisation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and financial aspects. Another key question during the event was how to keep a step ahead of criminals while fighting human trafficking.

Austria is cooperating with other countries to identify victims. We also have a good network of victim support services in Austria,

said Ambassador Petra Schneebauer.

During a total of five workshops, national and international experts – along with numerous representatives of international organisations and civil society – highlighted the various aspects, possibilities, and challenges of the fight against human trafficking.

The event was organised by the Human Trafficking Task Force, which is chaired by the Foreign Ministry. The committee includes representatives of federal and state agencies, the police, and civil-society victim protection institutions. Other partners that helped organise the conference are the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the Principality of Liechtenstein.