[Brussels, 08 September 2011] MONA Foundation for the Women of Hungary, member of the Hungarian Women’s Lobby, is organising a conference on prostitution and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation on 23 September in Budapest. Sexual exploitation and trafficking to this end of primarily women and girls is occurring on a large scale within Hungary, while many Hungarian women and girls are trafficked out of Hungary to other countries in Europe such as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Despite this, there is little in Hungary in the way of prevention, protection and prosecution.
This conference is aimed primarily at Hungarian decision-makers and professionals working with the issue and with victims/vulnerable persons and seeks to increase and improve efforts in Hungary in terms of combating the phenomena and assisting victims. The first half of the conference will be about European perspectives and experiences, while the second part will focus on the situation in Hungary and the role of the state.
EWL Policy Officer and Project Coordinator, Pierrette Pape, will speak at the conference, as will former EWL Secretary General and current EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Myria Vassiliadou.
Please find below the programme and registration contact.
Prostitution and trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation: European and Hungarian experiences, challenges and opportunities for action
Friday, September 23, 2011, European Youth Centre Budapest
8:30–9:00 Registration, coffee/tea
9:00–9:15 Welcome by Violetta Zentai, Chair of the Board of MONA Foundation for the Women of Hungary
Opening speech: H.E. Karin Olofsdotter, Swedish Ambassador to Hungary
I. European experiences and initiatives
9:15–9:45 Keynote speaker: Jenny Westernstrand, Uppsala University, Sweden: The Swedish experience, Sweden’s 1999 law criminalizing the purchase of sexual services
9:45-10:15 Myria Vassiliadou, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator: The gender aspect of the European anti-trafficking policy
10:15–10:45 Pierrette Pape, European Women’s Lobby, Belgium: Prostitution is violence against women: the EWL campaign ‘Together for a Europe free from prostitution’.
10:45–11:00 Andrea Matolcsi, MONA Foundation for the Women of Hungary: Amsterdam’s ‘Nyíregyháza street’ – results of research carried out by a Dutch social worker among Hungarian prostitutes
11:00–11:15 Questions, discussion
11:15–11:30 Coffee break, screening of the EWL’s short films on prostitution
II. Hungarian experiences, the role of the state
11:30–12:00 Anna Betlen, MONA Foundation: Prostitution and trafficking from an economics perspective, the Hungarian situation
12:00–12:30 Dr. Krisztina Berta Simonné, Ministry of Interior, Deputy State Secretary for EU and International Affairs, National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator: Opportunities and challenges in the area of combating trafficking as experienced by the National Coordinator
12:30–13:00 Pol. Captain Dr. Richárd Németh, Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation Organized Crime Division Trafficking in Human Beings Department, Head of Department: The experience of the NBI Anti-Trafficking Department
13:00–13:30 Representative of the Ministry of National Resources (TBC)
13:30–14:00 Panel discussion with Members of Parliament.
Participants: Ilona Ékes (Fidesz), Tímea Szabó (LMP).
14:00-14:30 Questions, discussion, closing of the conference.
14:30 Press conference
Please confirm your participation at the latest by September 16th at mona.alapitvany@gmail.com. Please note that the number of participants will be limited and registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
The conference is being organized with the support of the Swedish, U.S. and Norwegian Embassies in Budapest and the European Women’s Lobby.
English interpretation is provided during the conference.
You can read the programme in Hungarian here.
