Human trafficking: the dark side of the EU dream By Ben Nimmo

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Friday September 22, 2006

By Ben Nimmo, Riga- The expansion of the European Union in Central and Eastern Europe has brought an unexpected surge in the number of Eastern EU citizens sold into slavery in the West. "There was a definite jump (after EU expansion). Lithuanians are now second only to Thais in the number of victims of exploitation in Britain," said Audra Sipaviciene, head of the International Organization for Migration's Vilnius office.

Human trafficking is commonly defined as the trade, coercion and exploitation of human beings for sex, labour or the removal of organs. According to a recent report by the Council of Europe, it is "the modern form of the old worldwide slave trade."

But unlike historical forms of slavery - in which slaves were usually prisoners of war - the "slaves" traded in the modern traffic are more often the victims of deceit and despair than violence.

"People living in an economically vulnerable area are approached by someone promising them a golden economic future. They don't know what they're embarking on," Hanno Hartig, head of minorities at the Council of Europe, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Once the tempter has led their victim to a Western country, a variety of methods are used to force them into submission, including violence, confiscation of papers and threats to family members.

"Contrary to popular belief, most victims enter the target country legally. They then become illegal, whether by overstaying, losing their papers or deceit from employers, and that makes them vulnerable," said Klara Skrivankova, of UK-based NGO Anti-Slavery.

And paradoxically, the opening of European borders caused by the collapse of communism and the expansion of the EU has led to a surge in trafficking within Europe.

"Since the pulling down of the Iron Curtain, the movement has started. The EU's expansion was the second wave," Hartig said.

Observers cite two main reasons for this increase in illegal activity at a time when legal movement has become so much easier. Firstly, despite all local efforts, exploitation is still a severe threat in some Western industries.

"The environment in some industries is still prone to exploitation. It's particularly true in labour-intensive sectors, such as agriculture and construction, where staff needs change quickly and sub-contracting is common," Skrivankova said.

Prostitution, the crime most often associated with human trafficking, is also a particular problem in the West. According to Latvian reports, for example, 19 out of 22 Latvian women known to have been trafficked to the West in 2005 were sold as prostitutes.

The second factor is the eagerness with which many workers from the new EU responded to the chances offered by a career in the West. Many subsequent victims of trafficking were woefully ill-informed about conditions in their target country, observers say.

"People migrating were less attentive and aware, because they felt more secure once they were in the EU," said Stana Buchowska of the Polish branch of anti-trafficking NGO La Strada.

Moves are now afoot across Europe to combat the problem. The Council of Europe has issued an anti-trafficking convention which 31 member states have signed, and many states have launched education programmes to alert citizens to the danger of trafficking.

Police forces across the continent are also involved, with high-profile raids in the UK and Italy freeing scores of victims.

But observers acknowledge that neither education nor police action alone will eradicate human trafficking: with victims driven by economic need, only economic improvement can reduce the risk.

"Of over 500 Poles released in Italy, only 120 chose to testify. The others preferred to stay in the country and work in other camps, because their own economic situations were so bad," Buchowska said.

As long as the gulf between Europe's richest and poorest states remains, human trafficking is likely to remain the dark side of the EU's dream.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur