Conclusions

• Author: Amandine Scherrer
• Pages: 31-31

Detecting and protectin g victims of trafficking in hotspots

31

4. Conclusions

People leaving their countries in search of safety or a better life (asylum-seekers and migrants –

some of whom are already fleeing exploitation in their home countries) and arriving in Europe by

sea face significant risks of exploitation of variou s forms (sexual exploitation, forced labour) during

their journey to a safer haven. These risks do not disappear when they reach EU soil: while waiting

for their papers to be processed, people are still at risk of being exploited.

Overall, as detailed throughout this study, the proper detection and protection of victims of

trafficking in hotspots remain challenging at every step of refugees' and migrants' arrival in Europe.

These shortcomings are particularly worrying, as proper identification – or failure to do so – of

victims of trafficking will determine the types of follow-up procedures that will apply to them.

Persons identified as victims will, in principle, be offered assistance and protection, while

undetected victims might be relocated to another Member State (where appropriate) or returned

to their country of origin without having had their needs assessed.

In this context, the study has shown that vulnerability screening is a prerequisite in the identification

of victims and has stressed the related challenges. Protection of vulnerable groups in hotspots is

equally important.

On these aspects the FRA, in its updated opinion on the hotspots, underlines real improvements in

both Italy and Greece over the last two years: better and clearer standard operating procedures,

functioning systems of guardianship for unaccompanied children and better awareness of the issue

of trafficking. These efforts have been significantly supported by the European Commission and

relevant EU agencies.

As regards the gender-related aspects of the issue, there is an urgent need for gender-sensitive

processes of victim identification and protection,144 especially in the field of trafficking, which, as the

study has shown, is highly gendered. As mentioned above, efforts have been made to integrate this

dimension in the training materials produced at EU level and supplied to the competent national

authorities on the ground. Furthermore, guidance has been provided to adopt gender-specific

measures in anti-trafficking measures.145

However, further efforts in this field are required: the FRA notes for instance that female staff are still

insufficient in hotspots. Presence of female police staff and interpreters not only helps to safeguard

the dignity of women during entry checks including body searches, first registration and other

procedures in the hotspots: it also plays an important role in facilitating the reporting of sexual and

gender-based violence.146 Furthermore, the FRA reports that while there is now more awareness on

the need to prevent sexual and gender-based violence (including in the way a camp is designed and

managed), the overall problem of overcrowding, especially in Greece, strongly mitigates these

efforts.

The latter aspect (overcrowding) points to a more general issue relating to hotspots: conceived as a

temporary measure to face significant numbers of refugees and migrants arriving at external

borders, they concentrate many challenges, including many related to fundamental rights. The

future of hotspots (and more generally the reform of common European asylum system) will

certainly be key in the discussions and debates of the new parliamentary term.

144 European Commission, Study on the gender dimension of trafficking in human beings, 2016.

145 EIGE, gender-specific measures in anti-trafficking actions, 2018.

146 FRA, Update of the 2016 Opinion on fundamental rights in the hotspots set up in Greece and Italy, p.49.