The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate will convene today at noon in a joint plenary session.

One of the bills featuring on the agenda of the joint plenary session regards the establishment of parliament’s joint human trafficking committee.

The standing bureaus decided on Monday to set up the Joint Special Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on combatting human trafficking. For the establishment of this committee, the vote of the joint plenary is also necessary. Its nominal composition will also be approved in today’s session.

Among the objectives of the committee are: analysing of the causes and structural and conjunctural factors that favour trafficking in human beings, including labour exploitation, sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors and other forms of abuse; analysing the activity of public bodies and public administration authorities engaged in central and local prevention, identification, investigation and resolution of trafficking in human beings, including labour exploitation and other forms of abuse, human trafficking, as well as assessing the effectiveness of the implemented measures, drawing up legislative proposals in order to amend the legislation in the field.

Another objective is to identify, assess and promote best practices, tools and strategies in preventing and combatting trafficking in human beings, including labour exploitation and other forms of abuse, as well as protecting, supporting and reintegrating victims of these malpractices.

The committee will consist of 25 members, appointed by the parliamentary groups of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate according to the political configuration of Parliament.

In order for the meetings of the committee to take place, the presence of at least half plus one of the number of members that compose it is necessary. Decisions would pass by the vote of the majority of the members in attendance, and the vote should be open.

„The bodies and authorities of the public administration whose activity is related to the mentioned objectives, and also to other aspects related to these objectives would be under a legal obligation to respond to the requests of the committee within the term established by it. The committee may invite representatives of public bodies/authorities, professional associations, recognised specialists in the field of trafficking in human beings, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations and accredited international organisations with experience in preventing and combatting human trafficking to participate in debates. The committee will work closely with the Committee on Labour, Family and Social Protection, as well as with other relevant parliamentary committees, to address issues related to labour exploitation and other forms of trafficking in persons,” reads the bill on the establishment of the special committee.

The committee will function until the end of the 2024-2028 legislature, and every six months it will present a report on its activity to a joint meeting of the standing bureaus, at the beginning of each session.

AGERPRES