Every year, on 18 October, the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings reminds us of the urgency of combating one of the most serious and widespread crimes globally. Trafficking in human beings is a serious violation of human rights, forcing millions of people into situations of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, and other forms of abuse. This phenomenon undermines the dignity and freedom of the victims and/or survivors, who are often deceived or forced into action.
CESIE ETS, through the Rights and Justice Unit, actively works to combat trafficking in human beings, promoting initiatives that aim to raise public awareness, support victims and/or survivors and create collaborations for a wider impact in the fight against trafficking.
The main initiatives promoted are:
Thanks to the collaboration between the police forces of Slovakia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Poland and Bulgaria, ASIT develops innovative digital tools to strengthen the investigation of trafficking crime. The main objective is to exploit digital technologies to identify and disrupt criminal networks more effectively, promoting European cooperation and an exchange of good operational practices between the police forces involved. The coming months will see the development of new digital tools, the organization of training sessions for law enforcement, first responders and judicial forces. Through ASIT’s LinkedIn channel, it will be possible to follow all the updates of the project and all the training and exchange opportunities organized by the partnership.
This initiative aims to enhance the skills of law enforcement agencies and legal professionalsin the use of digital evidence to improve investigations into child trafficking, with a focus on sexual exploitation.
Recently, the project organised a webinar for teachers and school staff from the partner countries, offering practical tools to recognise the signs of trafficking in classrooms and analyse the online recruitment methods employed by traffickers. Participants appreciated the training, emphasizing the importance of addressing the ways in which recruitment is increasingly moving towards digital.
In addition, a European training session is planned in Brussels, aimed at law enforcement agencies and legal professionals, with practical exercises and exchange of good practices to optimize the collection and analysis of digital evidence, thus improving investigative and judicial responses. Subsequently, expertswill also conduct training sessions at national and local level, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of law enforcement agencies and legal professionals, ensuring cooperation between the actorsinvolved in the prevention and fight against trafficking throughout the national territory. Follow our channels so you don’t miss the opportunity to apply!
Finally, the project partners are engaged in the creation of a comic book that will illustrate the possible scenarios, advantages and disadvantages of using technology in the investigative and judicial phase of trafficking-related crimes. This comic will be a valuable tool foroperators, law enforcement, legal professionals and all the actorsinvolved.
Designed to support women and girls potential victims and/or survivors of trafficking or/and other forms of violence, SAFEHUT aims to establish Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) in some of the partner countries (Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria), i.e. safe spaces dedicated to the support and empowerment of women. These spaces, designed by the International Rescue Committee, are designed with the aim of providing a protected and stimulating environment to develop self-esteem, independence and the development of new skills. Each WGSS organizes empowerment paths on topics such as personal development, practical skills, psychosocial support and civic inclusion. SAFEHUT also promotes work integration, creating networks with local companies to offer concrete opportunities to participants.
To facilitate research on the topic, the partnership has produced 4 National Reports presenting information on local contexts and specific recommendations for the launch of WGSS in partner countries. In addition, a Curriculum for the development of the skills of staff working in WGSS and a Guide for the launch of WGSS have been produced and published, which provides tools and methodologies to directly engage women and girls, ensuring that their experiences and needs are at the heart of the design and implementation of interventions aimed at their protection.
These initiatives testify to CESIE ETS’s commitment to building a system of protection and inclusion for girls and women in vulnerable conditions by responding to one of the most urgent social challenges at European level: prevention in falling into the phenomenon of trafficking.