Coronavirus is leaving people more vulnerable to human trafficking, warn experts

Samuel Lovett reports on how the crisis is creating a ‘favourable climate’ for criminals to ruthlessly exploit

Medical staff check incoming passengers coming from Italy for virus symptoms in the Albanian port city of Durres (AFP/Getty)

The coronavirus pandemic could increase the prevalence of human trafficking across Europe as vulnerable people seek refuge and criminals capitalise on the disruption, experts have warned.

As a result of the lockdowns across the continent, the infrastructure for both preventing trafficking and aiding victims has been severely hampered, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as authorities divert money and resources into their Covid-19 response.

Millions have been forced out of employment due to the pandemic, including migrant workers who may find themselves excluded from healthcare systems and without the means to return to their countries of origin, the IRC added, leaving them vulnerable to heightened levels of exploitation.

These factors have helped create opportunities for criminals to ruthlessly exploit, as governments continue to grapple with containing the spread of coronavirus.

“Our experience shows that major emergencies like natural disaster, war or conflict can create a favourable climate for increasing human trafficking,” said Jovana Arsenijevic, a programme coordinator for the IRC in the Balkans. “The same goes for Covid-19 – it’s likely the virus will become the catalyst of pre-existing issues around human trafficking,” she told The Independent.

“Looking into how coronavirus has affected Europe, there are two main reasons why an increased prevalence of trafficking is possible.”

Pointing to those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic – “migrant workers, seasonal workers and temporary workers in sectors like agriculture, construction and tourism” – she said: “These people are already susceptible to exploitation. Often they’ve been temporarily employed in an EU country and are likely to have been excluded from the healthcare system.

“Many will also not have the resources or means to return home. Given that the majority of trafficking victims are recruited through fraudulent processes, the high rate of unemployment [from coronavirus] represents a push factor when it comes to trafficking.”

Ms Arsenijevic also warned that the all-consuming nature of the response to Covid-19 meant authorities were now unable to effectively tackle the issue of human trafficking, with the relevant judicial and policing systems, such as border control, either suspended or curtailed amid an intense focus on infection control.

“As states go into lockdown and rely on the police and military to enforce new quarantine rules, other areas of the system are neglected,” she added.

“So the police will not be looking at the traffickers, for the moment at least, and the same goes for judicial systems and border police. There is a complete focus in prevention around Covid-19. This will give more window of opportunity for the traffickers.

“Countries are being forced to reconsider allocation of budgets and how social services are used. In many European countries, social services … now find themselves focused on providing support to those considered most at risk from the virus, such as the elderly, and any adjustment of the budget is likely to focus on the urgent needs first. Trafficking services might not be prioritised.”

All over Europe, investigations into trafficking rings and routes, as well as the legal support provided for migrants, have been disrupted. In Serbia, prosecutors are only examining emergency cases during the lockdown, meaning “combatting human trafficking is more difficult than ever”, says the IRC.

In Greece – a central hub in the movement of people across Europe – all migration procedures and requests for asylum were last month suspended, leaving thousands of people in limbo and at risk. Those who may attempt to illegally continue their journeys during the pandemic, whether from Greece or elsewhere, could go on to find themselves exploited by traffickers and smugglers, the IRC said.

The Greek suspension has since been lifted but other countries are continuing to turn a cold shoulder to migrants and other vulnerable members of society. Italian authorities have closed the country’s ports to migrant boats operated by charities as part of efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. This comes as departures from Libya increased in recent weeks as weather improved.

Although some have suggested such measures – and the wider closing of European borders – will hinder the flow of people across the continent, the IRC has warned that dangers will persist.

“People are like water – you cannot basically stop them,” said Ms Arsenijevic. “And the more the borders are controlled and the stricter they are, I would say the routes and the means of travelling become more severe. Within the context of coronavirus, they’re now even more at risk.

“We have seen that quite a lot over the years in migration routes in the Balkans which are changing and volatile, with people finding different ways of crossing the borders.

“I think there is a higher chance than ever in the last couple of years that more people will be trafficked.”

One recent case suggests the phenomenon is unlikely to subside during the coronavirus crisis.

Last month, immigration officers found 64 dead stowaways and 14 people alive in a shipping container on the back of a lorry that had crossed into Mozambique from Malawi. The migrants were on a well-known trafficking route to South Africa.

“This is the first time we’ve come across a case like this,” Ilias Chatzis, chief of the UN Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, told The Independent. “There are huge problems in this area we won’t have had to consider before.

“Repatriation of these people back home is very difficult. The safety of the people that need to interact with them – they don’t have enough people to deal with this case. So there are a lot of things that are coming up that people haven’t actually thought about.

Refugees face a heightened risk of trafficking during the pandemic, experts have warned (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty Images)

“But we should not forget these people who are very vulnerable.”

Young people are also particularly at risk during this period, both the IRC and Every Child Protected Against Trafficking (Ecpat) have said, pointing to the new dangers arising online as children spend more time on their phones and laptops during lockdown.

Charities and law enforcement agencies, such as the National Crime Agency and Europol, have noted a significant increase in online activity related to the grooming and sexual abuse of children since the outbreak of coronavirus.

“Children who in general are at home with family or in care, they’re spending more time online,” Laura Duran, a senior policy and research officer at Ecpat, told The Independent. “There’s increased risk to be groomed and potentially abused through different online means, whether that’s video games or other social media platforms. There is evidence to suggest that this is taking place.”

For young migrant children who may have been attempting to reunite with families in Europe, and now find themselves caught in stasis during this period, the pandemic has only served to exacerbate their vulnerabilities.

“We know that in the context of migration across Europe, if young people are in really dire situations – they’re without family and are perhaps undertaking their own migration path – they will be more vulnerable to exploitation by accepting any type of accommodation or opportunity to get off the street,” said Ms Duran. “The pandemic is simply accentuating all of this.”