By Holy See Mission
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Celestino MiglioreApostolic Nuncio,
Permanent Observer of the Holy See 64th session of the UN General
AssemblyHigh-level meeting on transnational organized crime,pursuant
to resolution 64/179 of 18 December 2009,aimed at fostering universal
adherence to the Convention and the Protocols thereto and at strengthening
international cooperationNew York, 21 June 2010
Mr. President,My delegation would like to thank you and the panelists
for their work in this useful discussion on transnational organized
crime.One result of an interconnected world is the ever-growing
interconnected nature of crime. While the ability to communicate and trade with
people in all corners of the globe has promoted global solidarity and commerce,
it has also led to an escalation in crime across national boundaries. This
dynamic in the globalized nature of crime presents new challenges to legal and
judicial mechanisms as they attempt to hold criminals accountable and protect
their citizens.The Naples Declaration and the Palermo Convention
constitute substantial efforts by the international community to establish
cooperation in order to prevent criminal activity and prosecute perpetrators.
These Conventions recognized the increasingly indisputable observation that as
crime becomes international, the response also must become
international.Today, millions of people are victims of trafficking, of
which, over 70%, almost all women and girls, are trafficked for the purpose of
sexual exploitation. This reality is both tragic and inexcusable. The
transnational trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is based
on a balance between the supply of victims from sending countries and the demand
in receiving countries. The trafficking process begins with the demand. To
highlight victims’ rights needs to go along with addressing the problem of
demand and, with it, the insidious degradation of human dignity that always
accompanies the scourge of trafficking in persons. In fact, rather than
effectively addressing the demand, more and more laws are passed which seek to
legitimize this dehumanizing work. Even the very global sporting and social
events which are meant to foster greater respect and harmony among people around
the world have become instead opportunities for the greater exploitation and
trafficking of women and girls.Similarly, the global drug trade
continues to have devastating affects on individuals, families and communities
around the world. In areas of production, the demand for illegal drugs fuels
organized gangs, drug cartels and terrorists. These criminal organizations use
the financing from this illegal activity to spread fear and violence so as to
secure their pursuit of greed and power. The activities of these individuals and
organizations must be addressed urgently by all legitimate means possible in
order to allow communities to live in peace and prosperity rather than in fear
of crime and hostility.To address this problem, the international
community must not only focus on the areas of production but must also address
the ever present demand for illegal drugs. This demand, driven heavily by the
developed world, demonstrates that in order to address drug production abroad,
efforts must be taken at home. Drug use not only afflicts the international
community, but also has immediate detrimental effects on the physical, social
and spiritual lives of individuals and their families. Thus, focus also on these
individuals is necessary in order to find ways to prevent drug abuse in the
first place and to rehabilitate drug abusers so that they can contribute more
fully to the common good. Mr. President, If we wish to engage in
a sustained process to stop and reverse these two major areas of international
crime, peoples and cultures will have to find common ground that can underpin
human relations everywhere on the basis of our shared humanity. There remains a
profound need to uphold the inherent dignity and worth of every human being,
with special attention to the most vulnerable of society. In that vein we should
focus our efforts on addressing and even criminalizing the devastating demand
for prostitution, which dehumanizes women and girls and fuels illegal
trafficking around the world.Likewise, a people-centered approach to the
international drug trade must recognize that the consumers of this illegal
activity must be held accountable and also provided rehabilitation. Criminal
accountability is only one factor in addressing this problem as personal, social
and spiritual rehabilitation is necessary for drug abusers and the communities
devastated by the producing and smuggling of drugs. Also, efforts by governments
and civil society to restore the health of individuals and communities must
continue to be encouraged since all people have a claim to social and economic
development.This debate helps to shed light on the need to address
international crime in a way which recognizes the growing international nature
of crime but also allows this assembly to recognize that this response requires
national efforts to address the individual and societal causes for such
activity. While it is imperative to hold accountable for their actions criminals
who disrupt the common good, so too is it necessary to recognize the rights and
dignity of victims and offenders in order to remedy the harm caused by
crime.Thank you Mr. President.
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