Promoting Ethical Survivor Inclusion in Efforts to Combating Trafficking in Human Beings

This event

Survivors of trafficking bring unique knowledge that can help shape more effective responses to trafficking in human beings. Their experiences provide valuable insights into how exploitation occurs, where support systems fall short, and how prevention and protection efforts can be strengthened.

Although survivor engagement is increasingly recognized as an essential element of anti-trafficking work, meaningful participation remains limited in many countries. Survivor involvement is often ad hoc, dependent on civil society initiatives and lacking the institutional support, ethical safeguards and long-term resources needed to ensure sustained participation.

To help address these challenges, ODIHR is bringing together national anti-trafficking co-ordinators and civil society organizations from Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia for a two-day regional dialogue platform on ethical survivor inclusion.

Participants will explore practical approaches to establishing National Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Councils (NSTACs) or similar mechanisms, exchange experiences from across the OSCE region, and discuss how survivor engagement can become a sustainable part of national anti-trafficking policies and practice.

The discussions will draw on the expertise of the ODIHR International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC), established in 2021 to provide advice and recommendations to ODIHR and OSCE participating States on trafficking-related issues.

The event forms part of ODIHR's broader efforts to promote survivor-centred, rights-based responses to trafficking in human beings.

Programme

The two-day programme will focus on:

• Understanding ethical survivor engagement in anti-trafficking responses;
• The role and functions of National Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Councils (NSTACs);
• Promising practices from across the OSCE region and beyond;
• Trauma-informed approaches to working with survivor leaders;
• Challenges, opportunities and practical next steps for strengthening survivor participation in policy-making.

Funding

This activity is implemented with the generous support of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants.