Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission in Brussels on Wednesday welcomed the political agreement reached yesterday between the European Parliament and the Council on stronger rules to combat human trafficking. According to a statement issued by the Commission, the agreed rules will provide stronger tools for law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate and prosecute new forms of exploitation, including those that occur online.
According to the statement, every year, more than 7,000 people become victims of human trafficking in the European Union. The actual number is likely much higher as many victims remain undetected. Human trafficking is a heinous crime against the most vulnerable people in our society. This human tragedy is being exploited for ruthless gain. The annual cost of human trafficking in the European Union is estimated at up to 2.7 billion euros. Forms of exploitation have developed in recent years, as crime has increasingly taken on an electronic dimension and its means and illicit profits have diversified. Updated rules are needed to address these significant challenges, especially with regard to the significant increase in technological developments. This is why the Commission decided to update and review the EU Anti-Human Trafficking Directive as of 2011. The focus is on prevention and anti-human trafficking enforcement. Today's agreement specifically targets stronger rules on:
Exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage and illegal adoption, which would be clearly included in the definition of human trafficking. This will require Member States to criminalize this behavior in their national criminal law as a form of exploitation in relation to human trafficking.
Human trafficking is committed or facilitated through information and communications technologies, including the Internet and social media. This will become an aggravating circumstance when it comes to sexual exploitation resulting in harsher penalties.
Formal referral mechanisms will become mandatory in all Member States. This will improve early identification and referral for help and support for victims, creating the basis for a European referral mechanism through the appointment of a single national point of contact.
Knowingly using services provided by victims of trafficking would become a criminal offence. This is an important measure towards intensifying demand reduction.
Mandatory national action plans for Member States and improvements to the governance structure with national coordinators to combat human trafficking and the possibility of appointing independent bodies. Both sets of changes represent a novelty compared to previous legislation and will lead to harmonization at EU level.
Mandatory EU-wide annual data collection on human trafficking based on agreed indicators to be published by Eurostat. In the previous legal framework, this was not mandatory and was only carried out twice a year.
The directive must now be formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Once the Directive is published in the Official Gazette, it will enter into force 20 days after its publication and Member States will have two years to transpose the provisions of the Directive into national law.
Since 2011, the Anti-Human Trafficking Directive has been the driving force behind the European Union's efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking. However, developments in the forms and means of human trafficking have called for updating the rules to combat this crime more effectively. This is a cruel practice with most of its victims being women and girls, but the percentage of male victims has also increased, especially with regard to labor exploitation.
In April 2021, the Commission presented the EU Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (2021-2025), focusing on preventing crime, bringing traffickers to justice and protecting and empowering victims. The assessment and potential review of anti-human trafficking guidance to make it fit for purpose was a key action of the strategy. The economic consequences of COVID-19 and Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine have increased the vulnerability of a large segment of the population in the EU. The Commission therefore submitted the proposal in December 2022 to revise the Directive to make it more efficient in the current times.