Subject: EU-wide hotline for victims of forced prostitution
Following pressure from the European Parliament back in June 2006, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security spoke of plans to establish an EU-wide (multilingual) hotline for victims of forced prostitution. The aim of the hotline would be to provide first assistance for the victims of trafficking, enabling victims to talk to an impartial listener, an important channel for encouraging victims to seek advice and support. The difficulty in getting all telephone companies in the then 25-Member bloc to agree was cited as an obstacle in the setting-up of such a hotline.
What measures is the Commission currently taking to turn this hotline into reality and what progress, if any, has been made in bringing the telephone companies on board this plan?