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Vienna, Austria – 29 April 2021 Children from countries in South Eastern Europe are being forced to beg and steal on the streets of Western European cities. Men and women from the region are being exploited domestically and internationally in agriculture, the textile, construction and entertainment industries. Others, including minors, are forced to work as prostitutes or in the illegal drug trade. These are just a few examples of labour exploitation which were discussed this month at a regional expert meeting that brought today over 150 experts from twelve countries. |
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With this form of human trafficking, people are made to work involuntarily, for little or no pay and often in dangerous, harsh and illegal conditions. Victims are controlled by physical violence or the fear of such abuse. Others are manipulated psychologically by their traffickers who threaten to denounce them to the police or immigration authorities. "We presume that labour exploitation is widespread in South Eastern Europe, but at the same time underreported particularly due to its hidden nature," says Davor Raus, from the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer is now leading an initiative to build a regional alliance of officials, experts and business professionals who have a key role to play in anti-human trafficking efforts and victim protection. "Human trafficking is a complex, organized crime. To tackle it effectively, we need to involve people from a wide range of professions," explains Davor Raus. "This is why we have brought together police officers, prosecutors and judges, labour inspectors, as well as representatives from non-governmental organizations, trade unions and private companies." The two-day online event focussed on current trends in trafficking for labour exploitation, the challenges in combatting this crime and the protection of victims, especially children. Speakers included anti-human trafficking experts from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The private sector was represented by the Accor Hotels Group and the South Eastern Europe branch of the Manpower Group. "Apart from searching for talent, our social responsibility is to care about vulnerable candidates as well," says Aleksandar Hangimana, Managing Shareholder for South-East Europe, ManpowerGroup. "In this regard, we put maximum effort into supporting initiatives that fight against any kind of labour exploitation and strengthen the implementation of employment labour law," he adds. Ljilja Lukic, from the Lara Foundation, an organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina which provides shelter for victims of human trafficking, says the meeting was a "great opportunity" to exchange experiences and learn more about efforts to combat trafficking in the region. She adds: "Participation in the meeting confirmed that in addition to international cooperation, cross-sectoral cooperation in the fight against human trafficking is also important." UNODC's Davor Raus says the meeting is "the first step in closer cooperation in the region". All participants will receive a set of conclusions and recommendations which are based on the presentations from the panellists and the discussions that followed. "These will increase knowledge and awareness of labour exploitation in the region and will hopefully lead to joint actions to combat this crime," says Mr. Raus. Further information:The expert meeting was organized by UNODC in cooperation with the National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and through the financial support from the Government of France. It was the second in a series of five meetings that form part of a 2021 South Eastern Europe Trafficking in Persons Initiative. UNODC | Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling
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