In May 2018, a EU level conference was launched with the purpose to showcase the impact that the Convention has had on States Parties’ law, policy and practice, and in particular on improving the situation and rights of victims of trafficking. An emphasis was given on the human rights-based and victim-centred approach of the Convention and the positive obligations on States to prevent trafficking, protect victims, prosecute traffickers and engage in partnerships in order to achieve the purposes of the Convention. The important role of monitoring of the implementation of the Convention by GRETA (which helps to identify existing difficulties and emerging trends, and proposes measures to address them) and the more political role of the Committee of the Parties, both of which work to ensure the Convention’s provisions do not remain a dead letter, will be highlighted.
The Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings entered into force on 1 February 2008. It currently has 47 States Parties (46 Council of Europe member States and Belarus). The majority of them have undergone the first round of evaluation of the implementation of the Convention, which is monitored by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), and 27 have been evaluated for a second time. Most States Parties will complete the second evaluation round aby the end of 2018 and the third evaluation round of the Convention is expected to be launched by the end of 2018.