Trafficking of children and young people in Finland -research report launch presentation in Helsinki 21.03.2019 by Elina Kervinen/HEUNI.

1. E U R O O P A N K R I M I N A A L I P O L I T I I K A N I N S T I T U U T T I
Säätytalo, 21.03.2019
Elina Kervinen, researcher, The European Institute for Crime Prevention and
Control (HEUNI)
TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PEOPLE IN FINLAND
#lapsikauppa @HEUNI_institute @Ihmiskauppa

2. CONTENTS
▪ Defining human trafficking
▪ Challenges in researching the topic
▪ Focus and report data
▪ Results:
▪ Forms of trafficking in children
and young people
▪ Risk factors
▪ Measures for prevention and helping
the victims

3. HUMAN
TRAFFICKING

4. • Taking advantage of the
dependent status or insecure
state of another person
• Pressuring
• Deceiving
• Paying remuneration to a
person who has control over
another person,or accepting
such remuneration
• Imposing control over
another person
• Recruiting
• Transferring
• Transporting
• Receiving
• Providing accommodation
•Sexual exploitation
•Forced labour
•Other demeaning
circumstances
•Removal of bodily organs
MEANS ACT PURPOSE
What is human trafficking?

5. • Taking advantage of the
dependent status or insecure
state of another person
• Pressuring
• Deceiving
• Paying remuneration to a
person who has control over
another person,or accepting
such remuneration
MEANS ACT PURPOSE
If the victim is under 18
• Imposing control over
another person
• Recruiting
• Transferring
• Transporting
• Receiving
• Providing accommodation
• Sexual exploitation
• Forced labour
• Other demeaning
circumstances
• Removal of bodily organs

6. CHALLENGES IN
RESEARCHING
THE TOPIC

7. 7
Human trafficking and
related exploitation
▪ Human trafficking is rarely brought to
the attention of the authorities
▪ There is even less information about
the phenomenon of trafficking in
children than in that of adults.
▪ Less serious acts can lead to more
severe instances of exploitation. This
is why we should focus not just on the
tip of the iceberg but on what lies
beneath.

8. FOCUS AND
REPORT DATA

9. 9
Focus and report data
▪ The target groups of the report were children
under 18 and young people aged between 18 and
21
▪ Exploitation that has taken place either in Finland
or abroad, abut that has been identified in Finland
▪ Report data:
▪ Online survey (N=117)
▪ Interviews (N=16)
▪ Statistics, case descriptions and court
judgments

10. Statistics of the National Assistance
System forVictims of Human
Trafficking
The System has helped
55 minors
141young people aged
between 18 and 21
Court judgments
4+2 judgments
10

11. RESULTS:
FORMS OFTRAFFICKING
OF CHILDREN AND
YOUNG PEOPLE

12. 12
Different forms of human trafficking

13. 13
Sexual exploitation
identified in Finland
VICTIMISED IN FINLAND VICTIMISED ABROAD

14. 14
• Girls sent abroad to be married off
• Men who travel abroad to find
themselves an underage wife
• Couples coming from abroad, with
one spouse having been forced into
the marriage before arriving in
Finland
”The girls I’ve met who have come to Finland when
they were underage had been forced to marry; the
marriages were concluded in a refugee camp or
already back in the country of origin. Every one of these
young people I’ve met have divorced after spending
some time in Finland, they told that they had been
forced or coerced into the union. In such cases, the sex
has always been non-consensual.” (Survey)

15. 15
• Targetting young people, who can be
either Finnish nationals or foreigners
• Young people who have been placed in
custody and have absconded; addicts;
petty criminals
• Petty thefts, drug-dealing
• Can be connected to sexual exploitation
”This issue is very difficult and not very
well identified, it’s foreign to us all and
people don’t realise the extent of what
human trafficking can entail, like forced
criminal activities for one.
I mean, very few are aware of this. It’s
common among our teens that they’re
forced to nick stuff from the shop and
are forced [to commit other crimes].”
(Social worker)

16. heuni.fi 16
The convergence of different forms of trafficking -
Forced criminal activity and sexual exploitation
”Awfully many of my drug-abusing girls–they like think that nobody has exploited them or forced them into
anything, but still they’re freaking messed up by it all. There’s grown-up men to whom they’re the 50th teen girl,
’cause they don’t have this sense of dignity. It’s also an extreme form of defence for many, that what if you
confessed what’s happened to me, that it prolly wasn’t my own choice. [...] that you have to shield your psyche
with it.” (Social worker)

17. RISK ANDVULNERABILITY
FACTORS

18. 18
Risk and vulnerability factors

19. 19
▪ Cultural acceptance of
violence against women,
young people and children
▪ Marginalisation
▪ Unstable situation at home
▪ Previously experienced
physical, psychical, and/or
sexual abuse or violence
Risk and vulnerability factors

20. MEASURES FOR
PREVENTION AND HELPING
THEVICTIMS

21. It is important
to identify
human
trafficking
Human trafficking is serious
exploitation of a person, a violation of
human rights and a criminal act.
The victims of human trafficking have
special rights, which are realised in the
National Assistance System forVictims of
HumanTrafficking.
heuni.fi 21

22. How?
Interventions should be done on a
low-threshold basis, which requires
information on human trafficking
and its risk factors, so that the victims
can be identified.
It is also important to know how to act
after one has identified a case and
where to ask for help.
The National Assistance System
provides help and guidance.
heuni.fi 22

23. Multi-
disciplinary co-
operation is
required
Strategical actions are required:
co-ordination and a
comprehensive action plan.
Moreover, the awareness on human
trafficking should be further raised.
Multidisciplinary co-operation
should also be increased in order to
help the child victims of human
trafficking. 23

24. Let’s keep
in touch.
europeaninstituteheuni heuni_institute heuni.fi