18 October 2021

The Queen attends a seminar on human trafficking

On Monday 18 October, The Queen took part in a seminar on human trafficking of children and the presentation of the Child10 Award. The seminar was held in the Bernadotte Library at the Royal Palace, and was arranged by HM Queen Silvia's Care About the Children Foundation.

The Queen presents the Child10 Award till Zandra Kanakaris, Secretary General of Ellencentret.

The Queen presents the Child10 Award till Zandra Kanakaris, Secretary General of Ellencentret. Photo: Charlotte Brunzell/SPA

The Queen opened the seminar by welcoming the attendees. In her speech, she said:

No country, no community is free from exploitation of children. And it never will be, unless we really work together; law-makers, governments, civil society and corporates. In order to prevent trafficking and provide protection and assistance to the victims, we need to support each other and learn from each other.

HM The Queen

The Queen speaks during the seminar in the Bernadotte Library.

The Queen speaks during the seminar in the Bernadotte Library. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Child10's Secretary General Jacob Flärdh then spoke about the organisation and this year's award winners.

The Queen presented diplomas to the ten organisations:

  • ASTRA, Serbia
  • eLiberare, Romania
  • Ellencentret, Sweden
  • Footprint to Freedom, the Netherlands
  • Iroko Onlus, Italy/Nigeria/Great Britain
  • Lightup, Germany/Norway
  • MARTA Centre, Latvia
  • Novahuset, Sweden
  • Novi Put, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Vatra, Albania
The Queen with the seminar participants in the Bernadotte Library.

The Queen with the seminar participants in the Bernadotte Library. Photo: Felicia Margineanu/CATCH

During the seminar, a panel discussion took place between the participating organisations.

During the seminar, a panel discussion took place between the participating organisations. Photo: Felicia Margineanu/CATCH

The seminar ended with a panel discussion between Malaika Oringo (Footprint to Freedom), Ilias Chatzis (UNODC's Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section), Charlotte Petri Gornitzka (the UN), Erik Wottrich (Tele2), Diane Schmitt (EU Anti-trafficking Coordinator), Evin Incir (the European Parliament) and Anna Ekstedt (Ambassador for Combating Trafficking in Persons). The moderator for the panel discussion was Therese von Blixen-Finecke, Managing Director of the Care About The Children Foundation.

Henrik Lindstrand provided musical entertainment during the seminar.

Drottningen talar till seminariets deltagare i Bernadottebiblioteket.

Foto: Charlotte Brunzell/SPA

HM Queen Silvia's Care About the Children Foundation (CATCH)

Care About the Children's vision is to work for a world where the basic needs of all children are met, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children should have the opportunity to go to school, should receive good care, and should feel security and happiness during their childhood.

The foundation supports the most vulnerable children in Sweden and the world by working with established aid agencies on clearly defined projects.

Find out more about CATCH

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