UNITAR and the Sovereign Order of Malta Host Human Rights Council Side Event and Launch New Training Programme

Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Ms Reem Alsalem, expressed the complexities in the legacy of the Palermo Protocol;

The protocol’s legacy is clearly a mixed one. It has provided tools and momentum, but the scale of trafficking against women and girls underscores the need for a more holistic rights-based approach that tackles root causes and prioritizes survivor empowerment over punitive measures.

Reflecting on the necessity of multinational capacity building in tackling human trafficking, H.E. Ambassador Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah, Permanent Representative of the Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations Office in Geneva, expressed;

Capacity building is not just desirable, it is indispensable to deterring human trafficking. Without it, laws remain dormant, victims remain invisible and perpetrators remain unpunished … Human trafficking is transnational, and as such, no country can combat it alone.