La Strada International (LSI) is an international NGO network addressing the trafficking of persons in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Creation

La Strada International was created in October 2004, formalising an informal network that had existed since 1995. , it included member organisations from

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, Macedonia,

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistri ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

and an International Secretariat based in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, The Netherlands. In each of the eight member countries the programme is implemented by independent

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

non-governmental organizations.

Aims

LSI has an ''International Secretariat'', whose main aims are information collection and research, with an online database for collating national-level data on individual cases and patterns of human trafficking; developing organisational capacity; and communicating in international organisations.

Actions

In 2002, La Strada Ukraine, together with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

(OSCE), started a free national telephone hotline service in Ukraine for victims of human trafficking and for people planning on international travel and wanting advice on human trafficking risks.

Networking

La Strada International is a member organisation of the NGO networks Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women,

PICUM PICUM (the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants) is a non-governmental organization located in Brussels that aims to promote social justice and respect for the human rights of undocumented migrants within Europe. It prov ...

— the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants and the

Human Rights and Democracy Network The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) is an informal grouping of 43 NGOs operating at the EU-level in the broader areas of human rights, democracy and peacebuilding. It was created in 2004 and mainly operates in Brussels. Purpose HRDN a ...

. In July 2010, LSI was granted consultative status by the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC). The consultative status gives LSI the ability to actively participate in the work of ECOSOC, as well as other bodies within the UN, such as the

UN Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat (french: link=no, Secrétariat des Nations unies) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the a ...

. La Strada International will be allowed to consult with UN member states and discuss concerns and ideas within the field of human trafficking. LSI is also a member of

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

Alliance Expert Coordination Team, the EU

Fundamental Rights Agency The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, usually known in English as the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), is a Vienna-based agency of the European Union inaugurated on 1 March 2007. It was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 168/2 ...

Platform and has a participatory status with the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it has 46 member states, with a p ...

. LSI cooperates in anti-trafficking activities with EU and UN bodies. From 2009 to 2012 La Strada International, together with

Anti-Slavery International Anti-Slavery International, founded as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, is an international non-governmental organisation, registered charity and advocacy group, based in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest interna ...

implemented a three-year European project called
Comp.act
. The aim of the project was to improve access to justice and guarantee compensation for trafficked people. The project received institutional support from the

and OSCE/ODIHR. In 2013, LSI began coordinating the La Strada NGO Platform, a network of 21 European (EU and non-EU) NGOs from 20 countries, working to address human trafficking,

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

labour rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influe ...

, and

sex work Sex work is "the exchange of sexual services, performances, or products for material compensation. It includes activities of direct physical contact between buyers and sellers as well as indirect sexual stimulation". Sex work only refers to volun ...

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title= La Strada Ukraine , website= La Strada International Association , year = 2021 , url = https://www.lastradainternational.org/la-strada-ukraine , access-date = 2022-04-16 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220411193602/https://www.lastradainternational.org/la-strada-ukraine , archive-date= 2022-04-11 , url-status=live {{cite web , title= First free national anti-trafficking hotline in Ukraine to start today , website=

, date = 2002-11-18 , url = https://www.osce.org/ukraine/54833 , access-date = 2022-04-16 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219113006/https://www.osce.org/ukraine/54833 , archive-date= 2020-02-19 , url-status=live {{cite web , title= LSI: Main Challenges in Addressing Trafficking in Persons in Europe , website= GAATW , date = 2013-11-14 , url = https://www.gaatw.org/members-old/featured-members-of-the-forthnight/751-lsi-main-challenges-in-addressing-trafficking-in-persons-in-europe , access-date = 2022-04-16 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200125124331/https://www.gaatw.org/members-old/featured-members-of-the-forthnight/751-lsi-main-challenges-in-addressing-trafficking-in-persons-in-europe , archive-date= 2020-01-25 , url-status=live Organizations that combat human trafficking Professional networks International nongovernmental organizations Eastern Europe Missing people organizations International organisations based in the Netherlands