A total of 185 new referrals were made to the National Assistance System (NAS) for Victims of Human Trafficking in the first six months of this year, which is 19 percent higher than the stipulated period of the previous year, said the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) in a press release on Thursday.
However, the number remains at an average level. The system admitted 88 new victims of trafficking as clients. The most common forms of exploitation were forced marriage (34%), forced labour (31%), and sexual exploitation (27%).
"The increase in the proportion of forced marriages on this list shows that the phenomenon is recognised and that the actors in the sector are vigilant, as trafficking is recognised nationally better than before," said Katri Lyijynen, Deputy Director of the NAS for Victims of Human Trafficking.
Of the new clients, 42 had become victims of trafficking in Finland. About half of them were victims of forced labour.
The proportion of forced marriage and sexual abuse in forms of trafficking were about one fifth each. The persons who had become victims in Finland represented 24 nationalities and seven were Finnish nationals. As many as 71 per cent of the victims in Finland were women.
"Trafficking in human beings is often a crime that crosses borders, so international cooperation is useful. We participate actively in international networks aimed at sharing information and promoting the identification of child victims and access to help, among other things. Cooperation is the best way to combat human trafficking," said Terhi Tafari, Senior Adviser of the NAS.
At the end of June, a total of 1,588 people were registered in the system, of whom 1,323 were identified victims and 265 were their underage children.
There were 21 minors among the victims. Approximately two thirds of the victims of trafficking were women.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
