Description

In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (UN Trafficking Protocol). The Protocol obliged states to criminalise human trafficking, prosecute traffickers, and assist victims. Twenty years later, it is one of the most ratified UN instruments and human trafficking is a major issue of international concern and activism. However, it has also attracted considerable criticism for leading to serious human rights violations of trafficked persons and other vulnerable groups.

In 2020, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Protocol, the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women led a series of conversations about the Protocol and anti-trafficking work more broadly, their successes and failures, and opportunities for improvement.

In this episode, we speak with Betty Pedraza Lozano from the NGO Corporación Espacios de Mujer in Medellín, Colombia. Betty speaks about the specific conditions that make people vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking in Colombia, such as underdevelopment of certain areas, conflict, and the recent increase in the number of migrants from Venezuela. She also speaks about the the ways in which Espacios de Mujer supports migrant and trafficked women in the country.

Find out more about Corporación Espacios de Mujer at http://www.espaciosdemujer.org/