On June 23, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN prepared a statement for an informal multi-stakeholder hearing to prepare for the High-level Plenary Meeting to Review the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which will take place in September. The statement was to be delivered during Panel 1, dedicated to a human-rights-based, survivor-centered approach to trafficking in persons, but the panel ran out of time before it was delivered.

In its statement, the Holy See said that while many factors contribute to the various forms of trafficking, such as poverty, lack of adequate employment, the migration and refugee crisis, and other economic and political components, the root cause of trafficking of persons is the dehumanization of people as objects or commodities. The Holy See also said that while defending the human rights of victims and survivors is key, it is not enough. The international community must go beyond  to address the legal, economic, educational, medical and physiological needs of victims for their full rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

The statement can be found here.