Nearly half of all victims of human trafficking in Europe are EU citizens. One-third are being trafficked within their own country. Despite efforts to crack down on traffickers (who are increasingly using the Internet to ensnare victims), prosecutions and convictions remain low. In 2017-2018, there were over 14,000 trafficking victims registered but only around 6,100 prosecutions and roughly 2,400 convictions.
On 18 February, Friends of Europe held an event titled Turning a blind eye: the human cost of trafficking, exploring new ways to tackle the scourge of human trafficking by shifting the focus onto prevention and policies that put survivors at the centre of counter-trafficking efforts.
Want to learn more about human trafficking in Europe? Check out our infographic below (click for a bigger version):
What do our readers think? We had a comment sent in from Vinko, who points out that the vast majority of people registered as victims of human trafficking in the EU are women, and that the majority are trafficked for sexual exploitation.
We put Vinko’s comment to Maria Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, a Spanish MEP who sits with the Renew Europe group. She was one of the rapporteurs on a European Parliament report assessing the EU’s efforts at preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. How would she respond? Are certain populations more likely to become a victim of trafficking? If so, why is that?
For another perspective, we put the same question to Olivier Onidi, EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator and Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs at the European Commission. How would he respond?
Next up, we had a comment from Bodis, who thinks migrants should be discouraged to come to the EU to decrease trafficking. For example, there is clearly a complex relationship between people smuggling and human trafficking, though they are not the same thing. Can immigration policy have an impact on human trafficking?
How would MEP Maria Soraya Rodríguez Ramos respond?
We put the same comment to the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Olivier Onidi. How would he respond?
Next up, Tom believes a more humane and open attitude towards immigration would reduce the occurrence of trafficking and the abuse of migrants. Again: human trafficking and people smuggling are not the same thing. Nevertheless, do xenophobia and racism contribute to trafficking in humans? What would Maria Soraya Rodríguez Ramos say?
Finally, Elga thinks EU member states should be more engaged in trying to combat the causes of trafficking in the countries where it originates.
Should European countries do more to combat the causes of trafficking in the countries of origin? How would Olivier Onidi respond?
How can Europe combat human trafficking? Should European countries do more to combat the causes of trafficking in the countries of origin? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
33 comments Post a commentcomment
Close the borders. The gruyère aka woke policy we have now stimulates trafficking, both outside and within Europe.
Many traffickers are coming from Albania that you want to join EU…. Ban Albania membership
How can Europe combat human trafficking?
Well, let’s focus on who and where in Europe this ‘human trafficking’ takes place.
1) Who, in the majority, is spreading this kind of exploitation within our borders?
2) Where do they ‘find’ the majority of people they exploit this way?
3) Why are European politicians turning a blind eye to it and covering up the
pertinent facts of it when they find the culprits? As in the Pakistani groups
raping and exploiting our children for sex over decades?
4) Why are those same culprits denied the right to speak of their ordeal when
freed inside Europe by European police and the Law in general?
5). Why are European police, in the main, denied the right to openly address the
issues and tell the public of what they found and where they found it?
6). The money made from this underground economy goes where? Where are the
hoards made from this business kept? As it must be enormous amounts,
it has to be somewhere it can be used as hard cash for the traders to survive
and under the mattress is not a viable possibility.
7) Today everything mankind does is recorded and followed back to its origin.
How is that information being held without questioning, or, when questioned
first off, denied exposure. Who is being protected in this matter and why?
8) How are these traffickers and their pawns getting into Western society so
easily? And if they are already in Europe or the West, how do they bring in
these people from outside our boarders unseen? Why are European
politicians reluctant to expose the truth about those who do this? Deport
those who don’t belong here and incarcerate those who do, en masse, on
remand from arrest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ielKBf5Jp6E&ab_channel=ForeignPolicyAssociation
And when did this kind of exploitation begin in the UK? By whom? How did the people who carry this crime out find the information on how to do this within our society? How did they know where to go and look for people who would submit to such a lifestyle? In fact, who are they?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDcG2iwyGvU&ab_channel=SkyNews
Most importantly, how do politicians not have enough knowledge of the people they allowed into our society or if raised in this society not to take the decision to block this horrendous economy from spreading via them, within our borders? In other words, why did those in power deliberately allow it to grow and spread, to the horror we have today. They did this regardless of the damage and danger they knew it would put our people in if brought into our lands? And do it whilst trying as hard as they could to stop it being exposed to out people?
Why did they detest us to the extent they would do this here?
Charge all NGOs that are taxiing people in EU with human trafficking, and protect our borders.
Stop the EU corruption would be a nice start ;)
NGO need to quit getting payed by Europa. Its a big legal human traffic scandal.
Éradiquer l’union européenne. Retourner comme dans les années 80.Retour des frontières et de notre monnaie d’époque. Renvoyé la totalité des étrangers qui ont mis un pied en Europe depuis 1990.Intégralement tous ce qui n’est pas blanc. Ce n’est pas du Racisme, mais ils ne se sont jamais intégrés. 40 ans plus tard, il est trop tard, ils ont eux bien le temps. Changer le système politique aussi, sais dictateurs qui manipulent le peuple. Par profit et intérêt. L’argent est la cause des différences sociales. Les loi sont mal faites et toujours à l’avantage du plus riche. Tout est à changer dans l’intégralité, trop de corruption.
Stop taking all those fake fugetiefs in. Stop taking all those, mostly men economic immigrants in. Stop funding the human trafficking NGO’s who are getting illegal immigrant from the Libian waters to Europe.
Control money got by political parties better. Drugs and human trafficking are major sources when parties do not represent more than 2% of population and are just used for EU agenda of neocolonialism.
If you want to stop this, you will have to learn to send all irregular migrants “back”… Even the…refugees… But it is possible and acceptable if they can meet a secure place…, where they can integrate the society of that country…AND if the middle-class of poor or troubled countries doesn’t run away because lack of medical services , unstabilty or other material motives.Accept those “refugees” IS traficking humans. … But refuse security to humans is also a crime… Europe could remember what is “common intrest” , and that because of it, governement has to be able to controll and act as an economical agent : what is delegated to privates just is more expensive….and such delegation creates corruption and organised scarecity…Thàt is the liberal revolution , where all politicians are actors of that “liberal” revolution : organise scarcity to create privileges and wealth for the few…Refugees will need a roof and will have to work for few… in fact, violence ans misery is created to have them fleeing away, it is cheaper than go to catch people and have them migrated by force: make them run and assure they take the good direction…Liberal Europe is a criminal organisation…
de enige die zich daar iets van aantrok en iets deed hebben ze weg gewerkt
Wtf is wrong with the sickos laughing at this??
get prince andrew out of the palace
Human trafficking is not good for a human. There is a better life and that is what the main message should be to the people who are trafficked. There need to be a part prevention and role models could help with that. I think then of a role model as a famous singer or actor, important is to have both genders a male role model as a female role model. Children and young people look up at these role models and can learn from then that human trafficing is not ok and that it should stop.
That is a way to learn and stop human trafficking.
Clean up poverty. The key to human trefficking. Poor people aren’t happy, so this is for criminal minds the solution.
Ghislaine Bergen Indeed. Not as big as Afrika but much to big.
Border controle ! Most easy way !
by stopping to pay them. That would actually help.
je ne vois pas ce qu’il y a de rigolo là ????
Getting rid of all those NGO’s that import migrants would probably be a nice first step. Also, close borders.
An EU citizen cannot be trafficked inside the EU dumbos.
[PHOTO] https://external.ftzl2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQGi3shVK5XAYebO&w=396&h=318&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.tenor.co%2Fimages%2F9c172e0770d02626f95fc38cfce53a8c%2Ftenor.gif%3Fitemid%3D14233698&ccb=3-4&_nc_hash=AQGjeitM4IOoIvDu
condamnez les clinton alors !
As US “war on drugs” shows prohibition only causes more issues, than solutions. First answer the question – why human trafficking exist? I mean answer all the possible “why?”s that anyone may think of. Do not stick your had in the sand, but open up even the most unpleasant topics, understand them, think about them, do not ignore them just because they are unpopular. If you can answer this you will be one step closer to the solution.
gosh..how and where is this happening?..its very sad..you need a helpline phone number spacific to this problem in every country in every language. but maybe they dont want to be saved..maybe they just want to try to earn some money..its a very complicated system..i remember when i was 22 traveling around europe and trying to find work..i was lucky..and as ok..but some are just not so lucky..counceling is the only way..maybe..a helpline phone number for them to contact at least something.
Stop Albania membership process
You are so naive and double speaking. You want Albania to join EU which is the leader in human trafficking and prostitutionAnd you promote migrations and subsidize NGO which are cooperating with human traffickers in Mediterranean sea