This conference will address the pressing issue of human trafficking affecting young people in Belgium, including sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and economic exploitation. It will bring together international experts, as well as Minister Yves Coppieters, responsible for Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, to discuss the current situation, share experiences, and highlight effective measures to protect youth. The Samilia Prize will be presented later in the evening.

The TRAQ study day will take a close look at the status of victims of smuggling in human beings under aggravating circumstances in Belgium. Introduced in 2006, this residence status for victims who cooperate with authorities has seen limited use and has never been thoroughly analysed. Within the framework of « TRAQ » (Trafic Analyses Qualitatives), Myria and the National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology (INCC) conducted a study on its implementation. The findings will be shared to stimulate discussion and reflection among experts and stakeholders.

During this event, key challenges associated with the European return system will be examined, including divergences in Member States’ practices and obstacles to forced return. The conference will then focus on ongoing legislative developments and their implications for migration management and the Schengen area. Participants will discuss the role of a common and effective return system in supporting cooperation and migration management under the new Pact on Migration and Asylum.

This conference will explore three main areas: national policies and victim protection across Member States, strategies to address new forms of trafficking and dismantle criminal networks, and perspectives on international cooperation tools related to security. The event will bring together policymakers, experts, and civil society to discuss these challenges. Participants will also hear about the EU Strategy on combating trafficking in human beings.

Fedasil is organising an exhibition on voluntary return and reintegration at the Wintercircus. The Ghent-based Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer portrays the stories of, among others, Rosa from El Salvador and Igis from Albania. This exhibition is organised in collaboration with Caritas International and the International Organization for Migration, with the support of AMIF.

Amnesty International and the Human Rights League are proposing a meeting with Françoise Tulkens, former judge and Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Manuela Cadelli, judge at the Court of First Instance of Namur, to examine the consequences of the letter from nine European authorities calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). 

The European Commission has launched a call of expression of interest to renew the composition of the “EU Civil Society Platform against trafficking in human beings”. Civil society organisations that are legally based in EU Member States and have demonstrated experience in the protection of and assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings are invited to apply before 5 March 2025.

The 2024 national conference of EMN Finland shall examine the state of play as well as the future prospects of the situation of Ukrainians in Finland and in EU countries. The conference aims to address the challenges of integration in a situation where beneficiaries of temporary protection find themselves between two countries. The conference seeks to support these persons in the limbo between integration and return.

The European Migration Network (EMN) Hungary Presidency High-Level Conference will focus on possible avenues for more effective and efficient implementation of returns, with special emphasis on the important aspects of the return procedure, internal coherence, and joint cooperation with third countries and digitalisation to support the common EU system for returns.

On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October 2024, PAG-ASA organizes the third Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Brussels. A series of events is planned from 14 October until 18 October to give the wider public the opportunity to learn about the issue, better understand its impact on victims, and gain insight into the Belgian protection procedure.

Before 8 October 2024, public bodies or a public or non-public implementing agency or body of a Member State can apply for funding and submit their proposal to support the implementation of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling and its call to action to strengthen international cooperation on preventing and responding to migrant smuggling.

Before 21 August 2024, public institutions, private non-profit and international organisations may submit an application to receive funding under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for a project strengthening the identification, assistance, support, and integration of third-country national victims of trafficking in human beings.

The European Crime Prevention Award (ECPA) and Best Practice Conference (BPC) will focus on the trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation and other kinds of exploitation.

On the occasion of the European Anti Trafficking Day (on 18 October), PAG-ASA organizes the second Human trafficking awareness week in Brussels! A series of events from 16 to 20 October will give you the opportunity to learn about the issue, better understand its impact on victims and gain insight into the Belgian protection procedure.

Frontex is launching a new open call for proposals aimed at concluding new framework partnership agreements to provide post-arrival and post-return assistance in 39 countries of origin, with qualified service providers from the non-profit sector, international organisations and national authorities from EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries for a period of two and a half years. 

On 15 December, EMN Belgium and the EMN Return Expert Group will host a half-day webinar on Alternatives to Detention. The online event focuses on the current legal framework on alternatives to detention, the implementation of these alternatives in practice and the identification of emerging good practices and pilot projects.

On 10 December 2019, EMN Belgium organises its annual asylum and migration policy event in which recent national and EU developments in the field of international protection, legal migration and integration and irregular migration and return will be discussed.

This conference seeks to shed light on the interesting topic of returning third-country nationals who have entered or stayed irregularly in the EU, as well as on their subsequent reintegration.

This conference of the German Contact Point of the EMN, which will take place in Berlin on 4 May, focuses on return counselling, integrated return management and reintegration.

Social networks and online classified sites are being used by traffickers to market, recruit, sell their services. This conference looks into this issue and its impact in more depth.

The REDIAL conference proposes for discussion some of the most contentious issues in the implementation of the Return Directive.

The Finnish Contact Point of the EMN organizes this conference to present and discuss the outcomes of the EMN study on the return of rejected asylum-seekers.

On the 6th and 7th of July, the Slovakian National Contact Point - in connection with its Member State's Presidency of the Council of the EU - organizes the EMN conference on sustainable returns and cooperation with countries of origin.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather views on the functioning of the existing legislation aiming at preventing and countering migrant smuggling and on what could be done to further strengthen it.

Join us to discuss how to provide irregular migrants with information on voluntary return and how to address vulnerabilities in the return and reintegration process.