A round table on the practices and challenges of combating trafficking in human beings in Europe on December 9 presented a general message of the necessity of cross-border co-operation, and of the conviction of the possibility to change the situation in Bulgaria.

Organised by the embassy of Finland in Bulgaria, along with the embassy of Norway and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the meeting at Arena di Serdica Hotel in Sofia came as part of the Finnish rotating chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a globe-encompassing security institution.

"The OSCE concept of security is very close to the human concept of security," keynote speaker Eva Biaudet, OSCE special representative and co-ordinator for combating human trafficking, said at the round table. "Safety is not only something written on paper; it has to be created and worked for."

Such was repeated, in various words, by the other speakers as well: to reduce the level of human trafficking in Bulgaria preventative measures must be taken, and these, for the large part, encompass education, public awareness and an improved - i.e., more secure - civil society.

Human trafficking in Bulgaria has not, said Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Daniel Vulchev, reduced since the country joined the European Union on January 1 2007. "And given the current economic crisis, the question of an increase in the number of persons being trafficked with the goal of labour exploitation will only become more acute."

Human trafficking encompasses men, women and children, with the latter two making up 80 per cent of those "exported", Vulchev said. Deputy Chief Prosecutor Hristo Manchev said that in addition to trafficking for sex purposes, there were also markets in forced labour and in children for organ "donations".

Biaudet recommended a "national rapporteur" programme that was in place in various countries, where a designated person had the "independent function" to analyse and explain information related to human trafficking.

"On this basis, it is easier to decide where to put the resources, how to address the issues," she said.

In Bulgaria, the three risk groups where work could be "more effective" were with children in institutions (no social network, often a lack of emotional stability and awareness, along with everyday survival and work skills); persons of Roma origin (often a lack of other possibilities for a "good life": "It is much easier to exploit when there is the perception that this person is not deserving, or would, in any case, spoil his life, whatever."); and in relation to child prostitution.

When a person is "exported" and is under 18 years of age, it is always a question of trafficking, Biaudet said. Here, the responsibility of the government was "very strong" to fix matters.

Education was key in raising society's awareness of what goes on, and how.

Of the police estimate of 2000 to 2500 prostitutes in Norway, 700 to 800 were from Bulgaria, making Bulgaria the second-largest country of supply, Tove Skarstein, the Norwegian ambassador in Sofia and the former Norwegian co-ordinator on trafficking issues, said.

"There are three pillars to combat human trafficking," she said. "Protection, prosecution and prevention. You cannot isolate one of them."

In 2006, the two countries signed a bilateral contract to co-operate on the problem, and to prosecute those who deserved it.

Talking from the experience of her own country, Skarstein said that Norway, where prostitution is legal, had recently decided to implement a "comprehensive action plan" to combat human trafficking that includes following the model of Sweden: as of January 1 2009, Norway will penalise the buying of sex.

And, she said, underlining the necessity of putting words into practice: "This is of little value if it is not implemented."