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Trafficking of persons. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its latest report and the comments made by the Portuguese Confederation of Tourism (CTP), attached to the Government’s report. The CTP recognizes that the national legislation criminalizes and penalizes forced labour practices, as defined by the Convention. However, such practices occur in the parallel labour market, where activities are at the margins of the law. The CTP states that particular attention needs to be accorded to the protection of women from Eastern Europe and Brazil, who enter the national territory and are forced to work on the sex market, as well as men from Eastern Europe and from the PALOP countries (African countries whose official language is Portuguese), who are used by the mafia as cheap labour, in total violation of the law and of human rights. In view of the problem of migration, the CTP emphasizes the need for European cooperation. The Committee notes these comments. It also notes that, in its comments made in 2002, the General Union of Workers (UGT) reported the persistence of the phenomenon of the trafficking in persons by organized crime networks which keep workers in situations of exploitation, or quasi-slavery, particularly for prostitution.

The Committee notes that, in 2002, the Government replied in detail to its general observation, in which it requested governments that have ratified the Convention to provide information on the measures taken or contemplated to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploitation. The Committee has been able to note in particular information on the legislative framework under which those responsible for the trafficking in persons can be prosecuted and penalized, the activities of the judicial police, European and international cooperation to combat this crime and the legislative provisions that can be used to protect victims. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide updated information on this subject in future reports, and particularly information on the number of court decisions and the penalties imposed, awareness-raising activities undertaken in this field (in relation to both the competent authorities and vulnerable groups), and the manner in which the victims are provided with protection in practice.