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Human trafficking can mean sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced criminal activities and other forms of abuse. Photo by Counselling on Pixabay

Brussels, 18 October 2022

Trafficking in human beings is a serious and evolving crime, which brings misery and often violence and degradation to millions of vulnerable people around the world.

Human trafficking can mean sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced criminal activities, forced begging, slavery and removal of organs. Other forms include forced marriage and illegal adoption, as well as the transportation of babies for sale.

Every year, thousands of people are identified as victims of human trafficking in the EU.

The EU and its member states have taken many measures to fight trafficking in human beings and are stepping up their efforts to stop this heinous crime.

In 2021 alone, 3 108 criminals were arrested and €35 million were seized thanks to EU action.

Hidden in plain sight: the invisible victims

Human trafficking is a highly lucrative business with a lower risk of detection for perpetrators than many other forms of crime. Globally, traffickers make estimated profits of €29.4 billion in a single year.

Gangs, seemingly legitimate companies, recruitment agencies and even the victims’ relatives engage in this crime.

Trafficking in human beings is often hidden from view, and the distinction between it and other crimes, such as extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking can be blurred, meaning it is hard for investigators to pick up on it.

As a result, a significant number of cases of human trafficking, often involving multiple forms of exploitation, remains unrecorded.

The victims have no trust in the support services around them, in the police or in themselves. They think they are not taken seriously and that they are culprits rather than victims. Merel Van Groningen, human trafficking survivor

Victims are often fearful of reprisal or ashamed of their plight – because they were tricked into it or they find their situation humiliating – and, understandably, tend not to declare themselves to the authorities.

It is estimated that there are five to ten times more victims within the EU than reported.

Trafficked: stories of survivors

This section contains content that some readers may find disturbing.

Merel

Merel van Groningen was only 15 when she met Mike, a man ten years older than her who coaxed her into a relationship and then forced her into prostitution in the red-light district of The Hague, in the Netherlands. She managed to escape after three months.

Merel is one of thousands of victims of ‘loverboys’, the name given in the Netherlands to the pimps who use seductive skills to exploit young girls as prostitutes.

In 2020, she set up the Merel van Groningen Foundation to support young victims of sexual exploitation.

Zita

Zita Cabais-Obra decided to leave the Philippines in 1994, to escape poverty and to give her four children a better future.

She embarked on a long and dangerous journey to reach France, where her passport was confiscated and she was forced into domestic servitude.

She escaped after four years of exploitation and managed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Zita is a member of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council and of the ‘Comité Contre l’Esclavage Moderne‘.

Maïté

Maïté Lønne was a vulnerable young woman when she applied for a job as a waitress in a seemingly legitimate company via Facebook. She was tricked into sexual exploitation in Liège (Belgium), at the age of 20.

Her testimony helped to bring down a sexual exploitation network and arrest the traffickers.

Today, she collaborates with many associations and NGOs to combat sex trafficking and protect children from all forms of violence.

Ali

Ali reached France in 2013 after a dangerous journey from Egypt across the Mediterranean sea. The criminals who promised him a job forced him into slavery in the construction sector.

He lived in a container and worked up to 15 hours per day for nine months, with no pay and little food.

After a period in the street, he started a new life thanks to the French association ‘Comité Contre l’Esclavage Moderne‘. The police have never found his exploiter.

Traffickers exploit the internet

The internet, social media and digital platforms have given criminals additional advantages, including greater anonymity, a larger audience to be tricked and the possibility to control victims over a greater distance.

Traffickers use digital technologies to recruit, exploit, and advertise victims, organise their transportation and accommodation and hide criminal proceeds.

For instance, photographs have been used to blackmail people via social media.

I sent my CV to a company via Facebook. I was invited to a job interview. On the spot, the trap closes. I am raped. Sold. Silenced.Maïté Lønne, human trafficking survivor

Some criminals have gone as far as setting up false recruitment agencies online to lure people in. Traffickers also search the internet for requests for work made by jobseekers, which they exploit.

Young people are, according to Europol, particularly vulnerable to online exploitation. They tend to have poor ‘digital hygiene’ – being less likely to change passwords and clear files – and thus leaving much personal information on them available.

With people spending more time online since the COVID-19 pandemic started, they have become easier to lure into trafficking, with lower risk to the criminals.

The EU’s efforts against trafficking

Human trafficking is not only a crime. It is also a flagrant violation of the values that the EU is built on. Fighting it is a top priority for the European Union.

Article 5 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

– no one shall be held in slavery or servitude
– no one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour
– trafficking in human beings is banned

Over the years, the EU and its member states have developed a stronger and evolving response to this crime, focusing on policing and prevention.

Together, the EU and its member states follow a comprehensive approach, from prevention of the crime to the prosecution and conviction of criminals, while protecting the victims at all stages. Diane Schmitt, EU anti-trafficking coordinator

Adopted in 2011, the anti-trafficking directive draws on the UN’s protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons and the Council of Europe’s convention on action against trafficking in human beings.

It recognises that trafficking in human beings is not just a crime but a human rights violation, and that member states have a responsibility to protect victims regardless of their country of origin.

The directive also provides tougher rules for dealing with the trafficking of children. Member states must provide all child victims of trafficking with assistance and access to education.

The EU’s anti-trafficking coordinator, Diane Schmitt, is responsible for improving cooperation between EU institutions, EU agencies, member states and international partners, and for developing existing and new policies.

Fighting human trafficking is one of the top priorities of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threat (EMPACT), the EU’s flagship instrument for fighting serious and organised crime.

EU-wide police operations

EU member states have the primary responsibility for eradicating trafficking in human beings in their own jurisdictions. However, cooperation among member states is necessary to stop this horrific crime.

Law enforcement authorities from all EU countries work together to fight human trafficking through EMPACT, with the support of EU agencies such as Europol, Frontex and Eurojust.

And the results have been significant. Between 2018 and 2021, 17 688 victims of human trafficking were identified under EMPACT.

During that time, 5 098 arrests were made and 3 515 investigations were carried out. Cash seizures were made, with a value totalling more than €35 million.

In 2021, 1 250 new cases were initiated under EMPACT, with 3 108 arrests reported.

One notable success in 2021 was Operation Solent, against a group active in Romania and Spain. 19 suspects were arrested and 18 victims of exploitation identified.

Meanwhile, Operation Raxa looked into a human-trafficking gang – active in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Russia – which also had links to drug trafficking, tobacco smuggling and money laundering. 17 arrests were made and two victims were liberated.

The EU’s anti-trafficking strategy

In 2021, the European Union launched its four-year strategy on combating trafficking in human beings.

The strategy focuses on:

  • reducing the demand that fosters trafficking in the first place, including clarifying companies’ responsibilities
  • breaking the business model of traffickers, both online and offline, for example by working with tech firms to reduce access to platforms
  • protecting, supporting and empowering victims, with a particular focus on women and children
  • increasing international cooperation, with more exchange of information with non-EU countries

The EU has allocated €17 million in funding to implement these priorities.

Risks of human trafficking in Ukraine

Traffickers thrive in times of conflict and instability, when people are more vulnerable. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, millions of people – mostly women and children – crossed into the EU. Thousands of unaccompanied children were among them.

Criminal organisations were active on the EU-Ukraine border before the invasion, but Russia’s aggression has increased traffickers’ opportunities, as reported recruitment attempts by traffickers confirm.

The war has caused millions to flee their homes and seek refuge outside Ukraine. They are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers. We, the EU, are committed to protecting them and to keeping them safe. Charles Michel, President of the European Council

Since the first day of the war, the EU and its member states have been at the forefront of efforts to prevent and combat trafficking. In March 2022, they activated the temporary protection directive, giving refugees from Ukraine access to the labour market, health, social care and education. In one move this made them less vulnerable and susceptible to trafficking.

EU countries work together to combat criminals in Ukraine through EMPACT. An example of this cooperation is the EU joint police operation against criminal gangs using websites and social media to groom Ukrainian refugees for sexual and labour exploitation.

In May 2022, the EU adopted an anti-trafficking plan for Ukraine, which includes emergency 24-hour helplines for potential victims, awareness material at border checkpoints and registration centres, and a dedicated EU website for refugees.

Trafficking in human beings is an evolving and ever-present threat to the values of European and global civilisation.

As a priority, the EU will continue to fight it and adapt to every new challenge.

Source – EU Council

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