| Ombudsman for Minorities submits her first report on human trafficking  Eva Biaudet |  |
Human trafficking exists everywhere, including Finland, but signs of trafficking are not always recognised, notes Ombudsman for Minorities Eva Biaudet.
So far only a few dozen victims of trafficking have been identified in Finland, which is presumably only a fraction of the actual number of victims, according to Biaudet. Five lawsuits have been filed against traffickers.
Venla Roth, Senior Officer from the Office of the Ombudsman for Minorities, says that authorities often have the wrong perception of human trafficking.
”Human trafficking is often believed to be linked with organised crime. As a matter of fact, human trafficking does not necessarily always involve illegal entry, illegal residence, or illegal employment”, Roth notes.
The victims may have been voluntarily involved in the activities concerned and have only then been subjected to control. Roth says that the perpetrator is often close to the victim or an acquaintance.
This is why authorities are not always able to identify victims at all, or they do not recognise them as victims of trafficking.
The new Ombudsman for Minorities, who was appointed last month (see article) submitted her first report on human trafficking to Parliament on Wednesday.
The report contains some 30 recommendations relating both to legislation and to official practices. For example, the system for victim assistance is too tightly connected with criminal investigations.
Over the past five years, only some 70 victims of human trafficking have been given assistance, the report argues.
”If victims are not identified, they are left without the rights to which they are entitled by law, including legal assistance”, says Roth.
Particularly in cases of prostitution, the victims of exploitation are rarely identified in Finland, the report notes.
”Foreign prostitutes in particular are eagerly deported, in which case the case may remain unclear”, notes Jaana Kauppinen, the executive manager of Pro Centre Finland, a registered non-profit organisation offering counselling for sex workers.
According to Kauppinen, such cases are more often handled as aggravated pimping rather than human trafficking.
”The aim of criminal investigators is to have the perpetrators punished, which is why the designation of the crime in question is not necessarily essential. From the victim’s perspective it may nevertheless be a crucial issue”, Kauppinen argues.
Human trafficking means the exploitation of a position of vulnerability of persons for the purposes of prostitution or forced labour, or any other form of slavery.
For example, the victims of the illegal trade in human beings may have been transported from abroad by means of coercion and deception, whereafter they have ended up working in poor conditions, being paid too low wages, having to work too many hours a day, or having their freedom to move restricted.
Previously in HS International Edition:  Eva Biaudet named Minority Ombudsman through special dispensation (7.5.2010) Links: Ombudsman for Minorities Pro Centre Finland Human Trafficking (Wikipedia) |
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