Study on high-risk groups for trafficking in human beings

With Contract No: HOME/2013/ISEC/PR/014-A2 — Lot 3 the European Commission has entrusted Ecorys and Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini with the implementation of a Study on high-risks groups for trafficking in human beings.

The study looks at risk and resilience factors for children with a view to establishing risk profiles and developing recommendations for improvements in policies in the EU and Member States, by collecting information in all Member States from key informants and through desk research.

The Study on high risk groups for trafficking in human beings (THB) looked at risk and resilience factors that influence the likelihood for children to become victims of THB, with a view to establishing risk profiles and developing recommendations for improvements in policies in the EU and Member States. This was done by collecting information in all Member states from key informants and through desk research.

The demand for sexual services has been identified in many EU MSs as a primary cause for child trafficking. The legal status of prostitution was pointed to as a factor affecting the demand in some countries. Some national stakeholders indicated that the demand for low cost labour which is identified as a risk factor for child trafficking increased due to the economic crisis.

The study concludes with a number of recommendations related to individual, family-related, socioeconomic and structural/institutional risk and resilience factors.