OEA - CP - Resolución CSH GT TP Doc 13

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OAS/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CSH/GT/TP/doc.13/26 8 April 2026

COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: Spanish Working Group on Trafficking in Persons (2024-2026)

DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS

OF THE EIGHTH MEETING OF NATIONAL AUTHORITIES ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS We, the National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons of the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS), or their officially appointed representatives, meeting in Washington, D.C., from May 14 to 15, 2026, on the occasion of the Eighth Meeting of National Authorities, chaired by the Government of Guatemala, through the Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; RECOGNIZING that trafficking in persons constitutes a serious violation of the human rights and freedom of individuals, particularly those in situations of vulnerability; TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the commitments undertaken by the member states under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Convention) and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Trafficking in Persons Protocol or Palermo Protocol), to which all member states are parties; STRESSING the importance of the Third Work Plan for a Comprehensive Response to Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere (2023–2028) (Third Work Plan on Trafficking in Persons) adopted by the OAS General Assembly in resolution AG/RES. 3009 (LIII-O/23), as a strategic framework for strengthening regional cooperation and comprehensive responses to this crime; RECALLING the OAS Charter, the mandates adopted by the OAS General Assembly; the Third Work Plan on Trafficking in Persons; the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention,

Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará, 1994); the standards of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); resolution 1/26 “Organized Crime and Human Rights in the Americas” adopted by the IACHR in 2026; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man; the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, “Protocol of San Salvador; the American Convention on Human Rights (in particular, the provisions regarding the protection of children); the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; the InterAmerican Convention on International Traffic in Minors; International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour; ILO Convention No. 97 concerning Migration for Employment (Revised 1949); ILO Convention No. 143 concerning Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions), 1975; the ILO Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration (2006); the2relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice of the United Nations; the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons; the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and other relevant regional and international instruments; RECOGNIZING the increasing complexity of modalities of trafficking in persons, including those linked to labor exploitation, forced labor, the recruitment of children and adolescents by organized criminal groups, and the use of digital environments for the recruitment of victims; CONSIDERING that trafficking in persons is a criminal offense largely perpetrated by organized criminal groups, at both the national and transnational levels, and is characterized by its

evolving and multidimensional nature, which requires strengthening national and regional information systems, including through the collection and analysis of internationally comparable data, the identification of emerging modalities, particularly in digital environments and online platforms, and the incorporation victims’ experiences to assess the effectiveness of mechanisms for protection, prevention, and access to justice, in order to guide evidence-based public policies centered on the human rights of affected persons; EMPHASIZING the importance of strengthening comprehensive responses based on the pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution, and cooperation to prevent and address trafficking in persons, including strengthening investigative capacities, international cooperation, and the use of financial investigations to dismantle criminal networks, recognizing that the protection of victims is also enhanced through the apprehension of perpetrators and the dismantling of the structures that commit and underpin this crime, as well as the use of seized assets to provide reparation and redress to victims; UNDERSCORING the importance of adopting differentiated human rights-based approaches focused on victims and survivors, and that promote interagency and international cooperation; RECOGNIZING the value of the participation of civil society, survivors, international and regional agencies, and the private sector in efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in persons; and RECOGNIZING ALSO the need to adapt public policies to the new challenges posed by emerging forms of trafficking in persons, including those facilitated by digital technologies;- 3MAKE THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS: Trafficking in persons for the purpose of recruitment of minors into organized criminal groups

1. Strengthen regulatory and legislative frameworks to prevent, combat, and punish the recruitment of children and adolescents by individuals and organized criminal groups, recognizing their possible link to trafficking in persons and establishing that the consent of minor victims is irrelevant and that these cases should be treated as trafficking in persons, in accordance with the United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons and the General Guidelines of the Third Work Plan for a Comprehensive Response to Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere (2023–2028) (Third Work Plan on Trafficking in Persons).1 Likewise, the application of the principle of non-punishment of victims2 / who have been forced to commit criminal acts while being exploited.3

Guidelines of the Third Work Plan for a Comprehensive Response to Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere (2023–2028) (Third Work Plan on Trafficking in Persons).1 Likewise, the application of the principle of non-punishment of victims2 / who have been forced to commit criminal acts while being exploited.3

2. Develop comprehensive prevention and awareness-raising strategies that include community, educational, vocational, cultural, and social inclusion programs aimed at reducing vulnerability and risk factors, and strengthen mechanisms for early detection and identification, referral, and protection of at-risk children and adolescents, through interagency coordination among authorities on child protection, public security, education, shelter institutions, and social services.

3. Build institutional capacities to prevent and detect trafficking in persons in order to address the use of digital technologies and social media in the recruitment and exploitation of children and adolescents, and develop partnerships with technology companies, implementing joint and coordinated actions.

4. Strengthen regional and international operational cooperation through the rapid exchange of information for proactive prevention, the early detection of possible victims, and the combating of crime through the use of international police channels, such as INTERPOL and AMERIPOL, and coordinated operations.

5. Strengthen interagency and intersectoral coordination for the prevention, care, and protection of child and adolescent victims of trafficking in persons for the purpose of recruitment by criminal groups, prioritizing early detection and the activation of protection mechanisms that ensure attention to primary needs, as well as access to basic and specialized services.

1 . OAS (2024), Third Work Plan for a Comprehensive Response to Trafficking in Persons (2023-2028), available on the website of the Inter-American Network for the Prevention of Violence and Crime. 2 . ICAT (2020). Available at https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/ICAT/1910800_ICAT_Issue_Brief_8_Ebook.pdf. 3 . Recommendations of the Sixth Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, 2021, document RTP-VI/doc.4/21 rev. 1410800_ICAT_Issue_Brief_8_Ebook.pdf. 3 . Recommendations of the Sixth Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, 2021, document RTP-VI/doc.4/21 rev. 14Trafficking in persons for the purpose of labor exploitation and forced labor in the context of labor mobility

6. Strengthen labor legislation and policies, labor inspection processes, and supervisory mechanisms in economic sectors with a high risk of labor exploitation and forced labor; establish confidential reporting channels; apply the principle of non-punishment of migrant victims of trafficking; and punish individual and corporate employers responsible for the recruitment, placement, and/or exploitation of persons.

7. Strengthen national, binational and international coordination among immigration, police, labor, consular, victim assistance and protection, and judicial authorities to improve early detection, identification, and comprehensive assistance to victims of trafficking in persons for labor exploitation and forced labor in labor mobility contexts; in addition, promote the development of interagency protocols of action; the exchange of information; and operational cooperation, including joint investigations; and the participation of civil society organizations in mechanisms for referral, care, repatriation, and safe return of identified victims.

8. Promote ethical and transparent hiring practices that ensure fair working conditions and reduce the risks of labor exploitation and forced labor for the purposes of trafficking in persons and urge member states to strengthen the regulation, oversight and accountability of labor recruitment agencies, companies in various service sectors such as agriculture, textiles, and construction, as well as call centers, tourism service providers, among others, including mechanisms for hiring migrant workers, monitoring, and inspection.

9. Promote the use of joint investigation teams (JITs) among states, especially in cases of trafficking in persons for purposes of labor exploitation and forced labor in the context of labor mobility, as a mechanism to facilitate the production of evidence, coordinated action, and the

dismantling of criminal networks.

10. Strengthen the creation and consolidation of national task forces specializing in the investigation of trafficking in persons for labor exploitation and forced labor in labor mobility contexts, bringing together police, immigration, financial, and judicial authorities, with a focus on structured investigations and a coordinated response to organized crime linked to trafficking in persons.

11. Promote the development of instruments for differentiated care for victims of trafficking in persons for the purposes of labor exploitation and/or forced labor, to be used as guidance for a specialized approach by multidisciplinary teams providing such services.

12. Implement prevention measures and information campaigns that address the methods, strategies, and mechanisms used by traffickers, such as the use of false offers of employment abroad to recruit victims, as well as scams, deception, and debt bondage used to control or manipulate victims during exploitation.- 5Dignified and transformative reparation for trafficking victims

13. Promote legal frameworks that guarantee the right of victims of trafficking in persons to comprehensive reparation that includes restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition.

14. Strengthen national redress mechanisms for victims of trafficking in persons, ensuring that victims have effective and timely access to them without excessive procedural burdens. To that end, promote the establishment of comprehensive reparation measures, including the creation or expansion of compensation funds and other redress mechanisms provided for in the national legal system, as well as the consideration of asset forfeiture and the use of assets seized from criminal activities, among other sources regulated at the domestic level.

15. Promote the safe, ethical, and meaningful participation of survivors in designing, implementing, and evaluating public policies regarding the response to trafficking in persons, ensuring that such participation is based on a victim-centered approach and full respect for their rights.

16. Encourage parallel financial investigations in cases of trafficking in persons, to identify, trace,

block, and seize illicit assets, contributing to the economic dismantling of criminal organizations and the comprehensive reparation of victims.

17. Strengthen actions for the social integration of victims of trafficking in persons in the economic, educational, and cultural spheres, and promote access to services that contribute to the restoration of their rights and the rebuilding of their life plans.

New challenges in measuring trafficking in persons: global data, and digital environments and victim experience

18. Strengthen national information systems on trafficking in persons by harmonizing and standardizing definitions, variables, and indicators based on the International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes and the International Classification for Administrative Data on Trafficking in Persons (IC-TIP), in order to improve the quality, consistency, interoperability, and comparability of data at the national, regional, and international levels.

19. Incorporate, within those systems, disaggregation variables related to the use of digital technologies in the various stages trafficking in persons, particularly recruitment, in order to determine whether such conduct occurs in digital environments, including social media, online platforms, or other technological means, in line with the methodological guidelines of the relevant international classifications.

20. Promote the active participation of OAS member states in the processes of gathering information for the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons , in order to improve the availability and comparability of data at the regional and international levels.

21. Promote the exchange of experiences in addressing trafficking in persons, including the collection and analysis of statistical data in regional forums such as the Regional Coalition against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (CORETT), as well as among6national commissions on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, prosecutors, judges, and police.

22. Adopt and incorporate the Guidelines of the Third Work Plan for a Comprehensive Response to Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere (2023–2028) into national public policies,

as well as the indicators developed to measure the implementation thereof, promoting periodic reporting on those indicators through the OAS Trafficking in Persons Knowledge Platform, as a tool to monitor progress, improve accountability, and identify gaps, challenges, and priority areas for technical assistance.

23. Extend the Third Work Plan (2023–2028) for five years, until 2033, allowing member states to consider revising its Guidelines and associated indicators, if deemed necessary.

24. Incorporate secure mechanisms to evaluate access to, and the quality and effectiveness of, assistance, protection, and access-to-justice services, guaranteeing the principles of confidentiality, informed consent, and non-revictimization, with the aim of strengthening the quality, relevance, and effectiveness of services to ensure that state responses are aligned with victims’ needs and rights.

25. Promote the specialization of investigative units and the use of data analysis and intelligence, including technological tools, to identify patterns, routes, and emerging modalities of operation of trafficking in persons networks.

26. Promote cooperation among specialized trafficking in persons units and cybercrime and cybersecurity units in order to strengthen the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of the crime, as well as a specialized approach to victims.