Foreign Minister and Icelandic Red Cross to Sign Anti-Trafficking Agreement

Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson will sign a declaration of collaboration with Director of the Icelandic Red Cross Anna Stefánsdóttir on Monday to expand the Icelandic Red Cross’ work in Belarus with the mentally ill and on anti-trafficking projects.

Funding from the International Red Cross is already at hand and projects connected to humanitarian law and policy have already been launched, as stated in a press release from the ministry.

As reported earlier this week, there have been over 100 victims of human trafficking in Iceland in past years. Managing director of the Icelandic Human Rights Center Margrét Steinarsdóttir, said that although things changed when stripping was banned in 2010, she has assisted a number of women who have sought help after starting out as strippers but were later forced into prostitution.

(2012-11-04/icelandreview)