Today, Sunday 18 October, is Anti Trafficking Day in Europe.
The not for profit anti exploitation group PAG-ASA has launched a virtual exhibition "The Photo-Voice," which "presents the voices of 24 survivors of human trafficking who conceived and interpreted the photos to share their experience with the public."
The exhibition can be viewed on line using the link above. PAG-ASA has recorded a significant drop in human trafficking in 2020; presumably thanks to the impact of the pandemic.
The organisation warns, though, that the pandemic also creates socio-economic conditions making vulnerable people ripe for exploitation.
Last month a joint operation between Belgian and French police raided seven houses and arrested 13 adults suspected of human trafficking, including forcing children to beg on the streets. Investigations in that case are still ongoing.
“The gang facilitated the illegal entry into Europe of Syrian migrants and supplied them with counterfeit documents to fraudulently apply for asylum and social benefits,” Europol said in a statement.
15 minors were taken into care.
The Council of Europe's Group of Experts Against Trafficking of Human Beings (GRETA) released a statement ahead of today's 14th Anti Human Trafficking Day calling on full respect for the rights of victims of trafficking in human beings during the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.