Prof. Conny Rijken elected member of Council of Europe expert group on human trafficking

GRETA is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the Parties. GRETA carries out visits and draws up and publishes country reports evaluating legislative and other measures to give effect to the provisions of the Convention. In addition, GRETA regularly publishes general reports on its activities. GRETA meets in plenary sessions three times a year. GRETA members sit in their individual capacity and must be independent and impartial in the exercise of their functions. 

As one of the 15 members of GRETA, Conny Rijken will contribute to the work of GRETA with her victimological expertise, knowledge on labor exploitation, expertise in human trafficking and migration, and experience in working in interdisciplinary and international groups.

Conny Rijken (1969) has been Professor of Human Trafficking and Globalization at Tilburg Law School since 2016. In her work, she focuses on exploitation and other human rights violations in the context of global migration. Rijken studied International Law at Utrecht University and Tilburg University and wrote her PhD thesis on human trafficking under supervision of Professor Hirsch Ballin and Professor Fijnaut. She has extended her field of research to other areas including global migration, European criminal law, and inclusion and exclusion through migration. Central in her research is the focus on human rights and engagement with the position of the individual. She conducts her research in interdisciplinary and international teams, often led by her, enabling the combination of and building on insights from different perspectives.

See also the announcement of the Council of Europe

The Council of Europe oversees the implementation of the European Convention of Human Rights in its 47 member states. This treaty is designed to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.