Finland sees spiralling human trafficking

The number of victims of human trafficking went up by three times in the country over the last three years, according to a report published Wednesday by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).

The evaluation report focuses on new trends in trafficking in human beings (THB) and on the vulnerability of children to trafficking.

As many as 52 people were suspected to have been victims of human trafficking in 2015, while the number jumped to 163 in 2018, said the report.

A total of 572 victims of human trafficking including 53 children who received care from aid organisations in 2015-2019.

The majority of the victims were from Nigeria, Somalia, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Iraq. At least seven of the victims were Finnish citizens.

GRETA welcomes the measures taken by the Finnish authorities and organisations concerned to increase awareness and the opening of an Assistance System for victims of human trafficking in Oulu as well as Finland’s participation in the international fight against trafficking in human beings.

According to GRETA, Finland should prioritise the following measures: Adoption of an action plan and/or strategy against THB, preparation of a comprehensive data collection system, and additional measures to prevent trafficking in children.

In addition, GRETA urges Finland to take various measures to improve identification and help victims of THB, to give guidance to the police and border guard authorities in observing the recovery and reflection periods of victims, to ensure that all victims of THB are covered in the Act on Compensation for Crime Damage, and to take additional actions related to impunity.

This is the second evaluation report released by GRETA on Finland. GRETA visited Finland for evaluation of the human trafficking situation in June 2018.