” “Italy, along with other countries, is going to ratify the Convention on the fight against the trade of human beings so that it can be enforced as soon as possible. This is the conclusion of a workshop promoted by the Council of Europe (CoE), which took place in Rome yesterday under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Equal Opportunities and which was attended by over 150 delegates from Italy, Albania, Greece, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Turkey, representatives of civil society and the regions. "The workshop provided an exchange of opinions on the main regulations set forth by the Convention and the laws to be enforced in each country to fight this plague", reads a release from the CoE. Until now, only Austria, Moldova and Romania had ratified the Convention, while thirty countries havve only signed it. The Convention is the first European treaty bound to protect and promote the human rights of the victims of the trade. Finally, the participants in the workshop suggested that the Convention should be ratified as soon as possible to increase the effectiveness of the fight against the trade of human beings and cooperation among the states. The meeting of Rome will be followed by a meeting in Oslo (1-2 November) and one in Athens (5-6 December).” “
