Vienna, 12 October 2021 – At the 11th Session of the UNODC Working Group on Human Trafficking the Delegation of the Holy See – rappresented by Dr Yuriy Tykhovlis – highlited the Holy Father’s deep concern for the victims of trafficking, made more vulnerable by the pandemic, and his invitation to fight this abominable crime in all its forms. The Holy See invited all political and social actors to make greater efforts to ensure that digital platforms cannot be used as a tool by human traffickers to lure, ensnare and exploit victims.

The Holy See Delegation expressed its hope for the establishment of a mechanism at the international level to assist States in identifying and reporting irregularities and the criminal use of social media and other communication tools for human trafficking. Governments and international authorities should work together to pursue and endorse financial investigations for the operations of presumed criminal organizations in order to identify trafficking and confiscate the financial gains obtained through the criminal use of digital platforms.

Read the statement in full here.