European Parliament resolution on trafficking of women and children in Cambodia
Date: 2005-01-13
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Cambodia, child, child protection, fight against crime, human rights, organised crime, prostitution, trafficking in human beings, woman

6.10.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 247 E/161

Thursday 13 January 2005

4.
4 Calls on the Iranian Parliament to adapt the Iranian press law and penal code in the light of Iran's
obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and, notably, to repeal all crimi-
nal law provisions concerning the peaceful expression of opinion, including in the press;

Calls upon the authorities to respect internationally recognised legal safeguards, inter alia with regard

5.
to persons belonging to religious minorities, officially recognised or otherwise;

6. Welcomes the stay of execution concerning Hajieh Esmailvand, and reports that Leyla Moafi's case has
been referred to forensic psychiatrists ‘to examine her mental condition’; insists, however, that their alleged
‘crimes’ are not internationally recognisable criminal offences and that their prosecution does not comply
with international human rights standards;

Insists that adult consensual sexual activity in private is covered by the concept of ‘privacy’ and calls

7.
for the immediate release of all persons held for such activity;

8. Welcomes and supports the EU-Iran negotiating process on nuclear issues, also as an occasion to
promote progress in the EU-Iran political and human rights dialogues and EU-Iran economic and trade
relations, and supports the Council in expecting action by Iran to address also other concerns of the EU,
such as ending its support for terrorist organisations, improving respect for human rights and altering its
approach to the Middle East peace process;

9.
Asks its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Civil Liberties to examine the way in which Parliament
may become involved in the process of regular updating of the Council Common Position No. 2001/931/
CFSP of 27 December 2001 on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism (1), taking into
account developments from 2001 onwards,

Hopes that the setting-up of its interparliamentary delegation for relations with Iran will enable it to

10.
engage in productive discussions with the Iranian Parliament and also with Iranian civil society;

11.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the CFSP High
Representative, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, and the Government and Parlia-
ment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(1) OJ L 344, 28.12.2001, p. 93.

P6_TA(2005)0012

Trafficking of women and children in Cambodia

European Parliament resolution on trafficking of women and children in Cambodia

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Cambodia, and in particular those of 13 March 2003 (1)

and 12 February 2004 (2),

— having regard to the cooperation agreement between the European Community and the Kingdom of

Cambodia (3), which entered in force on 1 November 1999,

— having regard to the 2000-2003 EC-Cambodia Strategy Document and the 2005-2006 National Indi-

cative Programme,

— having regard to the statement made by the Local Presidency of the European Union on behalf of the
EU Heads of Missions in Phnom Penh on the attack on a shelter for victims of human trafficking
operated by the Association ‘Agir Pour les Femmes en Situation Précaire’ (Afesip),

(1) OJ C 61 E, 10.3.2004, p. 417.
(2) P5_TA(2004)0101.
(3) OJ L 269, 19.10.1999, p. 18.

C 247 E/162

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.10.2005

Thursday 13 January 2005

— having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to the Convention on the Elimin-
ation of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, ratified by Cambodia and by all EU Member
States,

— having regard to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially

Women and Children, and the UN Convention against Organised Crime,

— having regard to the EU guidelines on the protection of human rights activists approved by the Euro-

pean Council in July 2004,

— having regard to the agreement between UN and Cambodia on a budget for a special Cambodia war

crimes tribunal,

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. having regard to the attack on the Srey Khan Center of the Afesip Association where 91 women and
young girls were staying, 83 of whom had been freed the day before by officials working for the
Department for Trafficking in Human Beings and Juvenile Protection from a hotel where prostitution
was being practised,

B. whereas the fate of these 91 women and girls is unknown,

C. whereas eight people were arrested during the police operation and freed the following day,

D. having regard to the death threats received by Somaly Mam, an activist working for children forced into

prostitution and for whom the Cambodian government cannot guarantee protection,

E. whereas trafficking in humans beings and sexual exploitation are a form of modern day slavery and
constitute flagrant violations of fundamental human rights carried out by organised criminal networks
operating across international borders; whereas this is a lucrative business for the traffickers,

F. whereas trafficking in human beings is increasing because of poverty, unemployment, the vulnerability
of women and children, deteriorating social conditions in the countries of origin, the high profits and
low risks experienced by traffickers, and the demand for women and children for purposes of pros-
titution and other forms of sexual exploitation,

G. whereas efforts still need to be made in the fight against organised crime and trafficking in human

beings,

H. whereas during the 7th Consultative Group (CG) meeting on Cambodia of 6 and 7 December 2004
participants agreed on a series of common indicators, including enacting domestic violence and anti-
trafficking laws, to help the government of Cambodia and development partners alike to monitor per-
formance in the coming year,

I.

considering the creation of an Interministerial Committee by the government of Cambodia which will
investigate the attack on the Afesip centre,

Denounces the sexual exploitation of minors as a crime ‘erga omnes’ and an attack on the fundamen-

1.
tal rights of children which must be fought at all levels;

2.
Stresses its preoccupation with child prostitution in Cambodia and with the trafficking in human
beings both to and from Cambodia, with the objective of using them for forced labour, prostitution and
begging and in illegal adoptions;

Recalls the principles of the Charter of Human Rights and especially the rights of girls, in the case of

3.
sexual exploitation of minors in Asia and in the rest of the world;

Condemns the attack of 8 December 2004 on the Afesip shelter for victims of human trafficking in

4.
Phnom Penh and the abduction of 91 women and girls, some of them minors;

6.10.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 247 E/163

Thursday 13 January 2005

5.
Condemns the sex tourism industry in Cambodia and the other countries where it occurs, and
requests that EU Member States enact and apply the necessary legislation needed to bring to justice all
those involved in sex tourism with minors;

Insists that the Commission takes into account the rights of children and women who are victims of
6.
trafficking in the programming of its human rights policy, within the framework of the European Initiative
for Democracy and Human Rights;

Requests that the Commission supports human rights organisations in Cambodia, especially those

7.
dedicated to the protection of victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation;

8. Welcomes the decision of the Government of Cambodia to establish an interministerial committee
including representatives of the foreign missions and national and international non-governmental organi-
sations, as observers to witness, further investigate and personally interview the women concerned;

9.
Is confident of a positive and fair result from the Interministerial Committee which has just been set
up, and recognises that the Cambodian authorities have made efforts to combat trafficking in women and
children; underlines, however, the need to increase the number of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers
so to put an end to trafficking in women and child prostitution;

Calls on the Cambodian authorities to guarantee the safety of child protection organisations and their

10.
workers, especially for those organisations working to help trafficking and sexual exploitation victims;

11.

Calls on the Cambodian authorities to guarantee the safety of Somaly Mam, whose life is in danger;

Calls on the Government of Cambodia to ratify the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish

12.
Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, and the UN Convention against Organised Crime;

Calls on the EU Member States to act together in the fight against organised crime and trafficking in

13.
human beings, especially trafficking in minors;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of

14.
Cambodia, and the Governments of the ASEAN Member States.