1. SLAVERY IN OUR OWN BACKYARD!
David Ellero
Senior Specialist
Top Organised Crime Groups

2. …Images…

3. …Images…

4. What will I talk about today
What is Human Trafficking
Why is it a form of Slavery
What is happening around us
trends

5. What is Human Trafficking
WHAT: recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons,
HOW: by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person,
WHY: for the purpose of exploitation.

6. What is Human Trafficking
RECRUITMENT
TRANSPORTATION
EXPLOITATION

7. Internet (advertisement)
Recruitment
Means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person
Recruitment agencies
Internet (advertisement)
Relatives, friends
Marriage

8. Transportation Air Land Sea
However, not as important as for other crime areas, such as Facilitated Illegal Immigration

9. What about the consent…
(b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used;
(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article;
(d) “Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.

10. What is a child

11. So do we understand?
TRAFFICKING =
SLAVERY

12. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Modern day slavery
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly December without a dissenting vote
Article 4
“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”

13. Hadn’t it been abolished?
In theory yes…
In practice it has just changed name!

14. Who are the victims
Victims of sexual exploitation originate mainly form EU MS
Romanian, Hungarian and Bulgarian victims are the most reported
Nigerian victims are the most reported Third country nationals
Proportion of nationality of suspects and victims is very similar
Traffickers not bound to use particular routes

15. What is happening around us
Mainly
Sexual exploitation
Labour exploitation
Child exploitation
But also…
Organ trafficking (THB/OR)

16. What is happening around us

17. What is happening around us – Sexual Exploitation
EU nationals and Third country nationals
Both street and off-street prostitution
Recruitment through a circle of persons often close to the victims or via internet
Victims are often shifted from one MS to another
In some OCG the women may play a key role
Legal vs. illegal

18. What is happening around us - EU
Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Czech and Slovak trafficking networks amongst the most active
High level of control on the victims the victims (psychological or physical violence)
Threats against the victims and their families
Same nationality as the traffickers, often from the same region
Recruitment is made with false promises and deceit

19. What is happening around us – Extra EU
Predominance of Nigerian, Chinese, South-American OCGs, and to a lesser extent Vietnamese and Eastern European
Sexual and labour exploitation
Linked to already established immigrants communities
Sophisticated OCG active in the origin, transit and the destination countries
Operating in cells across the EU, closely linked to each other
Large use of false travel documents
Misuse of visa regulations
and asylum systems

20. What is happening around us -Labour exploitation
The “legal” sector
Vegetable picking, textile industry, construction work, low skilled labour
The “illegal” sector
Pick pocketing, ATM assaults, thefts, but also looking after Cannabis cultivations

21. What is happening around us -Child trafficking in the EU
Criminal groups originating from South Eastern Europe
Recruitment circle involving parents, family members
Children belonging to the Roma community are particularly vulnerable
Forced into delinquency (petty crimes, forced begging)
Involved in defrauding social benefits systems

22. What is happening around us – Internet
Used by the OCG as platform to recruit victims online
To facilitate the victims’ exploitation through web-based adverts
To attract virtually national markets targeted by the traffickers
To ensure mass audience and anonymity
Reducing the risk of detection by law enforcement
Business model support
- communication, bookings, money transfers, etc.

23. Conclusions

24. Ciao! and have a good week end!