Conference on THB: the European response to the vanishing of human beings 29 January 2014, Brussels European Parliament AWF SOC, FP Phoenix
EUROPOL? European Union law enforcement agency handles criminal intelligence and provides analysis area of serious international crime and terrorism two or more EU Member States concerned has no executive powers
Europol principal tasks To collect, store, process, analyze information and intelligence; To facilitate information exchange; To notify MS if connections identified between criminal offences; To ask MS to initiate, conduct or coordinate investigations;
Europol principal tasks To suggest setting up of JITs; To provide intelligence and analytical support to MS; Maintain a computerised information system which is available to support Law Enforcement operations for 24/7; To prepare strategic products for MS
Europol key strategic products Threat assessments - Intelligence reports OCTA (SOCTA) TE-SAT AD-Hoc reports Event or topic specific Unified working methodology
SOCTA 2013 Key Judgments 3600 OCGs active in the EU economic crisis commodity counterfeiting, illicit trade in sub-standard goods and goods violating health and safety international trade routes market for illicit drugs most dynamic economic crimes and fraud internet cybercrime facilitation of illegal immigration and THB 6
SOCTA 2013 - Trafficking in human beings Levels of intra-eu trafficking are escalating OCGs :very flexible and adapt quickly to changes in legislation and law enforcement tactics An increase in THB linked to benefit fraud The economic crisis has increased demand on the illegal labour market
THB vs Illegal immigration Difference between Trafficking in Human Beings - THB (human trafficking) and Facilitated Illegal Immigration FII (human smuggling) Type of crime Illegal Border crossing Human trafficking (THB) FP Phoenix Crime against persons Not necessary Human smuggling (FII) FP Checkpoint Crime against the State Defining element of the crime Consent No consent of the victim Consent to the illegal border-crossing Relationship Exploitative, Long term Commercial, Short term
FP( focal point) Phoenix Tool to support live investigations in the field of trafficking in human beings Opening - 19 June 2007 Customer-driven approach Open to new proposals from member states Development of intelligence packages 9
FP Phoenix Members and Associates 24 Participating MS: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg Netherlands, Poland Portugal, Romania, The Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom Lithuania, Slovenia 4 Associates Australia Norway Switzerland Eurojust 10
Caveat - Data presented here is extracted from AWF SOC/FP Phoenix database - The overview is based only on THB related information provided by the MS/TPs - The data is presented in an objective manner and may reflect the national counter trafficking focus (priorities) of the MS (Law Enforcement perspective)
Number of THB contribution received by FP Phoenix SIENA 2500 2367 2000 1500 1394 1000 980 500 168 246 470 0 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
THB contributions / cases sent to Europol 7% 2% Sexual exploitation Labour Exploitation Child Trafficking 91% January 2009-October 2013 Total number of contributions: 6523 Total number of cases 1242
Persons reported to FP Phoenix 9356 27% 15427 45% Victims Suspects Contacts 9424 28% January 2009-October 2013
Victims data per form of exploitation 5% 16% Sexual exploitation Labour Exploitation Child Trafficking 79% January 2009-October 2013
Victims data per nationality 11% 17% 4% 3% 2%2% 1%1%1% 0%0% Romanian THB 0% Hungarian THB 18% 40% Nigerian THB Bulgarian THB Slovak THB Chinese THB Ukrainian THB Czech THB South American THB Lithuanian THB Russian THB Thai THB Albanian THB Western Balkan THB Latvian THB January 2009-October 2013
Conclusions - victims More EU nationals are trafficked within the EU than Third country nationals EU nationals / victims are trafficked within the EU using their own valid travel documents Non EU nationals / victims are provided with false ID and travel documents or exploit asylum and refugee procedures Most frequently reported nationalities of victims are: Romanians, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Slovakian Most of the cases reported to Europol relate to sexual exploitation Most of the victims of sexual exploitation are trafficked to countries where prostitution is legal and/or regulated
Challenges different legal frameworks identification of victims awareness in source and destination countries share of information, both at national and international level labour exploitation in illegal sector
Andrea HOSTÝNKOVÁ Analytical Work File (AWF) SOC Focal Point Phoenix Europol Tel: 0031 70 353 1347 E-mail: andrea.hostynkova@europol.europa.eu Thank you!