Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
UN / TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS
STORY: UN / TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS
TRT: 1.47
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 MAY 2013, GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK
FILE – RECENT, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK
1. Exterior shot, United Nations Headquarters in New York
13 MAY 2013, GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL, UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK
2. Wide shot, podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon:
“Traffickers victimize defenceless and vulnerable people. Earlier this month, authorities in Yemen freed about 500 Ethiopian migrants who had been trapped by traffickers. The victims were mostly women and girls. I was deeply disturbed to hear that many had been tortured and abused.”
4. Cutaway, General Assembly Hall
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mr. Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes:
“Although so much of human trafficking remains hidden, we know that the international community confronts a crime stretching across the globe. This modern form of slavery creates millions of victims. From their suffering, this crime creates billions of dollars for the criminals.”
6. Cutaway, General Assembly Hall
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ms. Mira Sorvino, Oscar-winning actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador for UNDC on human trafficking:
“In my official capacity and as a private advocate for victims of modern day slavery, I’ve been stunned to tears by stories that survivors have entrusted to me. My heart has bled from accounts of murders, of children being thrown off boats, of women being burned alive in dance clubs in Spain, rapes, scarrings, young women being branded on their faces with irons to keep them in line with their traffickers’ wishes, and beatings endured. The complete denial of their rights, and personhood by their exploters. Their relegation to things expendable.”
8. Wide shot, Mira Sorvino walking off stage
The Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, along with the head of the UN office against drugs and crime, Yuri Fedotov, and Oscar-winning actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Mira Sorvino, called today (13 May) for concrete actions to combat the trafficking in persons, a modern form of slavery that creates millions of victims, and whose profits in the black market fund illegal drugs, corruption and other crimes.
Speaking at a high level meeting at the General Assembly on improving the coordination efforts against trafficking in persons, Ban called for countries to ratify important pacts against trafficking, corruption and slavery, and human rights treaties; to implement the UN’s Global Plan for Action against trafficking; and to donate to the United Nations Trust Fund to help victims.
He said: “Around the world, traffickers victimize defenceless and vulnerable people. Earlier this month, authorities in Yemen freed about 500 Ethiopian migrants who had been trapped by traffickers. The victims were mostly women and girls. I was deeply disturbed to hear that many had been tortured or abused.”
The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Fedotov, stressed that the problem of trafficking was extensive, “stretching across the globe.”
He said that “this modern form of slavery creates millions of victims. From their suffering, this crimes creates billions of dollars for the criminals” which then go on to fund illegal activities such as drugs, corruption, and other crimes.
He then echoed the Secretary-General in calling for ratification of relevant treaties, particularly the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, which has 154 State parties. Also necessary, he said, was for countries to implement the UN plan against trafficking, and to contribute to the fund that helps victims.
Sorvino, a UN Goodwill Ambassador for UNDC on human trafficking, said that she had been “stunned to tears” by stories of survivors.
She said: “My heart has bled from accounts of murders, of children being thrown off boats, of women being burned alive in dance clubs in Spain, rapes, scarrings, young women being branded on their faces with irons to keep them in line with their traffickers’ wishes, and beatings endured. The complete denial of their rights, and personhood by their exploters. Their relegation to things expendable.”
Today’s session on improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons was held since it has been more than two years since the Assembly adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which calls for integrating the fight against human trafficking into the United Nations' broader programmes to boost development and strengthen security around the world. The plan also set up a United Nations voluntary trust fund for victims of trafficking, especially women and children.
The Trafficking in Persons Protocol, adopted in 2000 calls for countries to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, to protect and assist victims of trafficking, and to cooperate with each other in order to meet those objectives. It entered into force in December of 2003.
Download
There is no media available to download.
