"It has been calculated that every year about 600 thousand human beings are victims of international trade, that is, one victim per minute". Maud de Boer Buquicchio, deputy secretary of the Council of Europe, is visiting the United Nations to promote the Convention against the trade and exploitation of children, women and men, which is addressed to the members of the CoE but can be ratified by any other state. "The Council of Europe is determined to break this vicious circle, helping the victims of modern trade regain their freedom and putting an end to the demand for slaves". So far, the Convention, dating back to 2005, has only been signed by thirty governments and ratified by four of them: Albania, Austria, Moldavia and Romania. "It is too small a number explains the deputy secretary of the CoE , because it needs to be ratified by at least ten states for it to come into force". Tomorrow, during a hearing at the Glass Palace in New York, Maud de Boer Buquicchio will advocate the need to enforce the Convention as soon as possible. Today, during a visit to London, the secretary general of the CoE, Terry Davis, stated that "the trade of human beings is an euphemism for slavery" and invited Great Britain and the other member states to urgently ratify the Convention.
