Trafficking in children: A criminal act calling for a child protection response. Oslo Conference Report

Fight against trafficking in human beings was one of the specific priorities of the Norwegian presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) during the year July 2010 to June 2011. An important activity included the Conference “Trafficking in Children – A Criminal Act Calling for a Child Protection Response” held in Oslo, Norway, on 20-21 June 2011, which gave an opportunity to critically consider the information gathered on child victims of trafficking both nationally and internationally and take a closer look at the scope of assistance provided to the victims. The event was organised by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion together with the CBSS Expert Group for Cooperation on Children at Risk (EGCC). It attracted over 100 experts from all over the region with backgrounds in law enforcement, prosecution, child protection, outreach work, research, as well as governmental and non-governmental services aimed specifically at supporting child victims of trafficking. The results and conclusions of the conference will guide further work within the CBSS EGCC in this challenging field.