” “"Every year, over 600 thousand people are sold in Europe and fall prey to international criminals. 80% of them are girls or women", who are mostly turned into "sex slaves" through prostitution. Terry Davis, secretary general of the Council of Europe, speaks about today’s enforcement of the Convention about the trade of humans. Davis adds: "Many people instead are kidnapped to fuel forced labour, illegal adoptions and organ explants. The trade of human beings is the third most important criminal business after drugs and arms dealings". Hence his appeal to all of the 47 CoE member states as well as the EU to ratify the Convention, which 14 states have endorsed so far. Such Charter is called "a primordial step to fight this phenomenon" as it provides common legal tools and the opportunity to take measures against it across the member states. Davis’s appeal has been supported by the appeals to ratification of the new president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE, Lluis Maria de Puig, and Ján Kubi, current president of the Committee of Ministers ("International cooperation is essential to obtain significant results in the fight against such trafficking").” “
