Under the plan, victims of human trafficking will be offered a 45-day reflection period, during which they will be given an opportunity to assess their situation and to decide whether they wish to co-operate with the police in investigating and prosecuting the organisers. During this period, they will be provided with practical assistance and counselling, and safe places to stay. The responsibility of the public services will be stressed. Norway will co-operate with the victims’ country of origin on rehabilitation, and will make active efforts to prevent the recruitment of women and children to this trade. The new plan also contains measures to curtail the demand. The market for the sexual exploitation of women and children is a profitable one. Human trafficking is now estimated to be the third largest illegal trade in the world. The efforts of the police and the prosecuting authority to combat this trade and organised crime and to protect the victims will be further strengthened.

Norway will not accept human trafficking because:

• human trafficking constitutes a grave violation of human rights
• human trafficking is a cynical exploitation of the vulnerability created by poverty, which primarily affects women and children
• human trafficking is a manifestation of sexualised violence that is incompatible with the principle of gender equality
• many of the victims of human trafficking are minors. In addition to being the victims of criminal acts, they are also being deprived of care, family life, education and other rights children are entitled to.
• trafficking in women and children is a serious form of profit-motivated, organised crime, which is a threat to the social order and democratic values.

Background: Every year many thousand women and children, both girls and boys, are transported to countries in Western Europe by traffickers. Most of them come from or via the Balkan countries, the former Soviet Union, the Baltic countries or other Eastern European countries. The purpose of this trade is primarily sexual exploitation. The bulk of the trade is in women and minors, who are lured or who flee from a poor to a richer country in the hope of a better future.

Most of the countries of the world are affected by human trafficking, although in different ways and to different degrees, as countries of origin, transit countries or recipient countries. Norway is primarily a recipient country. Today we do not have sufficient systematic knowledge of the extent of human trafficking, but we have enough to intensify our efforts to combat it.

The Plan of Action will be implemented over a three-year period, and will have a total budget of some NOK 100 million (approximately EUR 10.3 million). The purpose of the plan is to promote broad-based co-operation and a concerted effort to prevent and combat this serious form of crime. In 2003, the Ministry of Justice is allocating NOK 8 million, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs NOK 30 million, the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs NOK 1 million, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development NOK 1 million, and the Ministry of Social Affairs NOK 500 000. The various ministries will be responsible for implementing measures in their respective spheres of competence. The co-operation of the Ministry of Labour and Government Administration, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Trade and Industry will also be important for implementing the plan.

The Ministry of Justice and the Police is responsible for co-ordinating the implementation of the plan.