Combating organized crime: trafficking in women, further actions following the COM(1996)0567

The European Parliament adopted its report drafted by Patsy SORENSEN (Green/EFA, Belgium) on further actions in the fight against trafficking for women. The Parliament called on the IGC to insert into the Treaty a clear legal base for combating all forms of violence against women and integrating police and judicial co-operation into the Community pillar in order to achieve greater legislative coherence. It recommended a common EU policy focused on a legal framework on combating offenders and protecting victims. It emphasised the importance of a clear and harmonised definition of trafficking and called on Member States and applicant countries to define trafficking in women, and related slavery-like practices, as a crime in their legislation, as as well as to set up or reinforce special anti-trafficking police units. The Parliament called on the Commission to make specific proposals towards the harmonisation of national laws and methods of detection and prosecution with a view to ensuring a detailed results, including the seizure of the proceeds of criminal activities and the non-internment of trafficked persons. It advocated measures to protect witnesses and the introduction of rules whereby NGOs may bring court actions on behalf of victims. The key role of Europol was stressed. The Parliament expressed its concern that new information technologies were used to advertise the sale of women and called on Commission and Member States and applicant countries to initiate research on causes and market mechanisms of supply and demand.�