Queen Letizia has been, for some years now, dedicated to supporting various causes that need a speaker to raise awareness in society. Letizia is directly committed to those affected by so-called rare diseases; with the fight against cancer; with mental health, with healthy eating and, also, as has been demonstrated this morning, in Malaga, in the need to fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of both women, men, boys and girls. .
The presence of the Queen at any event puts the focus on her person, which necessarily gives greater visibility to the problem. This morning, Letizia presided, at the Edgar Neville auditorium in Malaga, over the inauguration of the Second International Congress on Trafficking in Human Beings, in which the strategy to abolish sexual exploitation is debated. The experts involved have denounced the "big business" that this crime has become, which for the purposes of sexual exploitation alone moves more than 40 billion euros a year and affects 2.5 million people around the world.
Human trafficking is a widespread form of slavery that affects millions of people around the world and is also a reality in Spain. It is a crime and currently constitutes a very lucrative industry, which obtains important benefits derived from the use of people as objects of consumption and crosses the borders of States - although it does not always imply a crossing of borders - displacing people between regions and countries, taking advantage of their situation of poverty, lack of opportunities, inequality and discrimination suffered by, fundamentally women and girls, to obtain important benefits.
Prominent national and international specialists will debate in this forum - promoted by the non-profit association Betania - on the importance of providing crime with an international perspective for its eradication.
The inaugural conference will be about 'Trafficking in the post-covid era, challenges and trends' and will be given by Beatriz Sánchez Carvajal, prosecutor of the Human Trafficking and Immigration Chamber of the State Attorney General's Office.
The first debate will focus on the need for education to be the basis for awareness and sensitization, to achieve social rejection of prostitution and trafficking. The second analysis of the day will focus on the need to enhance international cooperation to define and combat trafficking as a transnational crime.
To attend the opening of the congress, the Queen chose a sleeveless silk knit Hugo Boss dress, with black and white stripes with a pleated effect.
