The Minister of Youth and Modernization said on Wednesday that she hoped to receive a proposal for an action plan to combat human trafficking and its legal regime in the coming weeks, noting that such a document has been missing since 2021.
Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees, Margarida Balseiro Lopes stressed that as of 2021 there is no Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking.
Four action plans were implemented between 2007 and 2021, and the fifth, for the period 2024 to 2027, was under public consultation until December 4, 2023, without receiving any input, the minister said.
“In addition to the plan, we also need a legal regime to protect these victims,” said Margarida Balseiro Lopes, stressing that this is a problem that is becoming more and more urgent and relevant, and that it is a phenomenon that tends to “increase the number of cases reported.”
The minister said she had received a proposal for a plan and a proposal for a legal regime from the previous government in the transition portfolio, but explained that she understood that the conditions for their publication and entry into force had not been met.
Margarida Balseyro Lopes noted that this plan affects at least eleven government sectors and that, therefore, it cannot be implemented “in a closed loop”, adding that in the meantime she has met with organizations that guarantee assistance to victims of crime, that is, five shelters scattered throughout the country.
He took the opportunity to reiterate that these structures are financed by public funds and that the allocation of funds has been delayed for several months.
At a meeting with various organizations, the minister announced that it had been decided to direct contributions to the plan and legal regime until today.
“Before this meeting, we met with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, which in turn are collecting donations from within the Judicial Police, the PSP and the GNR, as a simple example, so that we can finalize the plan and proposal for the regime in the coming weeks,” the minister said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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