Hi Everyone,
It seems there are lots of comments being made in various threads about the potential of meeting a person who has been trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
I understand that as members of this site, you would honestly chose to believe that people are independent and self employed professionals, and in many cases, this is true.
I have been reading a lot of what i would call "myths" about how to identify a person who has been trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
As a result i have decided to try and post something that might guide our thinking in a more accurate direction.
The main issues are around how the person was recruited. There are three recognised types of recruitment in a trafficking situation, and i am posting these because i think it is more likely you might have these conversations with people.
They are recruitment through deception, force or abuse of a vulnerable situation.
Here is the actual list, taken from here of what indicators are taken into consideration when identifying a victim of trafficking:
9.2.1 Indicators of recruitment by way of deception:
Strong indicator:
- Deception regarding the type of employment, employer or the country/location,
Medium indicators:
- Deception regarding the content or the legality of the employment contract,
- Deception regarding family reunification,
- Deception regarding housing and living conditions,
- Deception about the legal documentation or obtaining legal migration status,
- Deception about the journey and working conditions,
- Deception regarding wage/income,
- Deception through promises of marriage or adoption.
Weak indicator:
- Deception regarding the access to educational opportunities.
9.2.2 Indicators of forced recruitment:
Strong indicators:
- Kidnapping, forced marriages, illegal adoption or selling of the victim,
- Slavery/servitude due to debt,
- Threats of violence against the victim,
- Violence against the victims.
Medium indicators:
- Confiscation of documents,
- Isolation, lock-up and control over their movement,
- Threatening to report them to the authorities about their illegal status,
- Threatening to inform the family, community or the public,
- Violence against the family (threats or actual violence),
- Isolation/Confiscation of money.
9.2.2 Indicators of recruitment by abuse of vulnerable situation:
Medium indicators:
- Abuse of difficult financial situation of the family,
- Abuse of illegal status,
- Abuse of lack of education (language),
- Abuse of lack of information,
- Control by the traffickers/exploiters,
- Difficulties in the past,
- Difficulties in terms of independently organizing the journey,
- Economic reasons,
- False information about the legal regulations in the country of destination and the treatment by the authorities in the country of destination,
- False information about successful migration in the country of destination,
- Family circumstances.
General context:
- Personal situation,
- Psychological and emotional dependency,
- Relation with the authorities/legal status.
Weak indicator:
- Abuse of cultural/religious beliefs