Committee: Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
Topic Area A: Human Trafficking
Country: Bulgaria
School: Fishers High School
Delegate: Luke Ledford
The delegation from Bulgaria believes that the subject of human trafficking is one of the biggest and longest faced humanitarian issues on the European continent, and across the world. For decades, policy across the world, have failed to put a stop to international kidnapping and forced labor of peoples. The delegation from Bulgaria has itself faced a continuous fight against illegal markets for human labor or services and has taken several steps to try and prevent the continuation of this issue. There are no definite numbers as to how many Bulgarian victims of human trafficking there are, however, what is known is that across the continent of Europe, many of those prosecuted for human trafficking, as well as victims of human trafficking, are from or have ties to the nation. In recent years the delegation from Bulgaria has even become known as one of Europe’s “sources” for trafficked persons. This is a title that the state of Bulgaria would like to rid itself of.
While the fight against human trafficking, an ununified uniform industry, is not simple, the delegation from Bulgaria has taken great strides since the formation of the Republic. According to the standards set by the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act as well as its corresponding Trafficking in Persons Report, the delegation from Bulgaria has progressed from a tier three to tier two nation. Having introduced new laws, such as Articles 159a-159d from the nation’s criminal code, to help classify and prosecute those found guilty of human trafficking. The nation has also increased its support of its victims of human trafficking, having facilities to help or care for victims of human trafficking in some of its larger cities, most notably Sofia, the nation’s capital.
The Republic of Bulgaria believes that the United Nations efforts to spread the word internationally about human trafficking, as well as trying to find international standards for ending human trafficking, such as following those set by the U.S.A. Department of State, have been beneficial to the world. Bulgaria would like to see continued support from the U.N. as well as a push for regional committees in different parts of the globe with the purpose of discussing ways to prevent local trafficking. Bulgaria believes that to combat a crisis that spans international borders, nations must not only focus on internal reform but also work together to track down and prosecute individuals violating laws of two or more nations in a given area.
- luke ledford
