On 22 April, 2025 the OSCE’s Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Kari Johnstone, shared important guidance with lawmakers on tackling the growing threat of online exploitation. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization, with 57 participating States. As online exploitation and human trafficking is a crime that spans across borders, her expertise and update on what is happening in this space was of great value to all who attended.
Key priorities included:
- Stronger age verification laws to limit online exposure to exploitation for minors;
- More harmonized responses to online exploitation across countries, recognizing that communication and a united front matters in the fight against online exploitation matters;
- Addressing forced criminality and upholding the non-punishment principle for victims.
The last point in particular is a major priority for the Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking (ITHT), with Anne Basham, our Founder & Chair, leading the coalition advocating for the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) and the GRACIE Act in the US Congress over the past two years. The TSRA seeks to establish a federal “non-punishment principle” by providing relief to trafficking survivors who have been unjustly criminalized because of their trafficking victimization. The GRACIE Act (Generate Recordings of All CPS Interviews Everywhere) incentives child protective services (CPS) to record all interviews with children and families. CPS is the gatekeeper to foster care and one of the most important intersections with trafficking both for child victims and also trafficked mothers who are often targeted.
We would like to thank SR Kari Johnstone for this session, as conversations like this are vital to shaping the future of online safety, child protection, and anti-trafficking policy.
