Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen, Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children
Recent years have made clear that people can be exploited in many ways and in many places. In prostitution, but elsewhere as well, such as the agricultural and horticultural sectors, and the catering industry. Not long ago a conviction was handed down for the exploitation of street newspaper vendors.
Human traffickers take advantage of people who are often in a weak position or they use violence to coerce others to work for them. Crimes like these demand vigorous response. Human trafficking is a complex phenomenon. We can only succeed in tackling the problem if society at large and government agencies are aware of this and together take a firm stance. A robust response has been mobilised in the past few years. However, the battle against human trafficking is never won. The effort to fight I remains our challenge for the years ahead.