Statement by the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Suriname

HER EXCELLENCY URMILA JOELLA SEWNUNDUN

Remarks by the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Suriname and Principal Delegate to the Inter-American Commission on Women,
October 29, 2002

Subject: International Trade in Women and Girls

Thank you for granting me this opportunity to make some brief remarks on this pivotal issue.

First of all I would like to congratulate the newly elected officials to the organs of the CIM.

Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the outgoing Chair, Mrs. Chanderpal from Guyana, for a job well done.

Allow me also to congratulate Laura with her excellent and extremely useful presentation. I am looking forward to a copy of the power point presentation in English.

Madam Chair,

In many countries women continue to struggle for the guarantee of their most basic rights. Too many girls do not have the same chance of education compared to their brothers, Too many girls are not properly cared for and infected during genital insulation’s. Too many women still cannot choose whenever or whether to become pregnant, Too many women are victims of sexual violence, Too many women are exposed to abortions that are not safe. Even forced marriages are still common in some communities.

While globalization contributes to make human rights in general and women’s rights in particular better known, for example by many preventive actions through the internet, it has also created some new vulnerabilities to existing treats. Today criminal networks are taking advantage of the most advanced technologies to illegally traffic women and children around for sexual exploitation. It is estimated that the trafficking in women and children has become the third largest source of illegal income worldwide next to the illegal drug trade and the illegal trade in weapons and small arms. This activity rapidly became the protected preserve of criminal organizations and turned into a multi billion dollars business.

Many governments have realized that this modern form of slavery not only violates universal principles of human rights, but also has serious security implications because of the involvement of national and international criminal networks. Though the forms of exploitation are more common in the sex industry and in other criminal activities, trafficking syndicates and networks continue to devise new forms of enslavement and degradation. Moreover the resources of the traffickers remain ahead of those seeking to combat it.

Trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation is a particular abusive form of illegal migration. In the Millennium Declaration, States resolved to take measures to ensure respect for the protection of the rights of migrants and to intensify their efforts to fight trafficking. The international community recognizes that more people are being trafficked than even before.

The pool of victims is growing rapidly because of the wide spread inequalities, lack of employment opportunities, violence, discrimination, but most of all extreme forms of poverty.

Traffickers often operate with impunity because of ineffective law enforcement mechanisms, in some cases compound by official corruption.

The focused global fight against this evil has just recently started and is thus far from over. In order to tackle this international scourge effectively and decisively we need a considerable change of mentalities and attitudes towards women in general, if we want to achieve real equality and build a better future for all the girls and women in our hemisphere.

We also need to be more determined and take those actions and share those responsibilities at local, regional, hemispheric and global level in order to actively promote the empowerment of women, so that communities as a whole can take a firm stand against those criminal activities. This is not only a responsibility for women but must also be shared by men.

The complexity of the problem involves human rights, border control, law enforcement, gender, minors, mental and physical health, crime, public information, labor and many others. This means that a broad variety of expertise is needed to address the problem comprehensively. There is no single body nor institution to deal with all these aspects individually. Therefore, today more than ever before, urgent, effective and coherent actions are necessary. It is essential to recognize the complexities involved. Trafficking is not a single event, but a series of constitutive acts and circumstances involving a wide range of actors. It is essential that anti-trafficking measures take account of this spectrum of facts and efforts are made to address the entire cycle of trafficking.

Integrating human rights in any anti-trafficking activities means first and foremost, acknowledging that trafficking and related practices such as forced prostitution and forced labor are violations of fundamental human rights: the right to life, equality, dignity and security, the right to just and favourable conditions to work, the right to health, the right to be recognized as a person before the law. These are all fundamental rights that all human beings are entitled to, irrespective of nationality, gender, residence, occupation, race or any other difference.

Madam Chair,

There are several specific provisions in the Surinamese legislation, which prohibits the trade in human beings. These stipulations could be find in the Constitution, the Suriname Civil Code and in the Penal Code.

De Constitution stipulates in article 8 paragraph 1 that "All who are within the territory of Suriname shall have an equal claim to protection of person and property". In paragraph 2 is stated that "No one shall be discriminated against on grounds of birth, sex race, language, religion, education, political opinion, economic position or any other status.

De Civil Code is very clear regarding the Surinamese position on all kinds of slavery. Article 2 paragraph 2 mentions that slavery is prohibited in all its forms or manifestations.

Article 307 of the Penal Code stipulates that the trade in women and in male juveniles must be punished with imprisonment of 5 years. Article 334 mentions imprisonment of at least 12 years for everyone who is involved in activities regarding the trade in human beings.

At the national level governments should pass appropriate legislation in order to deal effectively with the problem. Suriname is now in the process to specifically define the trafficking of women. We are also convinced that law enforcement and capacity building of public institutions are examples of necessary steps many of our governments should have to take on board as soon as possible.

At the hemispheric level the OAS must continue to promote the empowerment of women and to act as a catalyst and an intermediary to help ensure that concerns of the illegal trafficking of women are taken into account in the formulation of regional policies regarding crime prevention. It is also important that gender issues are mainstreamed into all operational activities of the Inter-American human rights system.

Madam Chair,

In closing I would like to stress that every human being man or woman has the power to make a difference. Lets us start by proclaiming loud and clear that the respect for all women’s rights are the responsibility of all, that the elimination of all forms of violence against women is the responsibility of all, and that women’s empowerment is progress for ALL.

Thank you.

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