A series of events and activities will take place in Brussels from 14 to 18 October during the third edition of the 'Week Against Human Trafficking', the organiser PAG-ASA announced on Friday.
The event is held in conjunction with the European Day Against Human Trafficking on 18 October. Throughout the week, the NGO has scheduled film screenings on the topic, training sessions for frontline professionals, and an awareness campaign in the city centre.
"Through several awareness activities, we aim to break the silence around trafficking and uncover a crime that often happens behind closed doors. Victims are in the shadows of our society, and we need to open our eyes to see them," stated PAG-ASA's director, Sarah De Hovre.
According to estimates from the Global Slavery Index by Australian human rights organisation Walk Free, over 11,000 people in Belgium are in modern slavery, a term used to describe the exploitation of an individual by another including activities such as human trafficking. "Men and women, adults and children, Belgians and foreign nationals, people working in various sectors are in plain sight yet invisible," PAG-ASA added.
Approximately 6.4 million people are estimated to be in modern slavery within the regions of Europe and Central Asia, according to the Global Slavery Index.
The PAG-ASA is an NGO which supports victims of human trafficking in Belgium. It was established over 25 years ago.
