FINLAND NOTES SURGE IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASES

A total of 600 people believed to be human trafficking victims are receiving assistance from Finnish authorities but if their underage children are included, the number rises to 800, the Finnish Immigration Service or Migri told the Finnish news agency Yle on July 24, 2020.

Migri told Yle that the number of people receiving advisory services has nearly tripled in recent years and victims themselves are the ones reaching out for help. "When we talk about human trafficking globally, we are talking about tens of millions of people. We are seeing rising numbers of human trafficking here in Finland, and it is not only linked to immigrants," the head of Migri’s assistance system for human trafficking victims, Jari Kähkönen, said. Human trafficking in Finland often involves cases of forced labour, very often in the construction, restaurant and cleaning sectors.

He noted that victims usually reach out via Human trafficking in Finland often involves cases of forced labor, very often in the construction, restaurant and cleaning sectors. The groups most often assisted by Migri’s human trafficking victims assistance programme include Somalis, Nigerians, Afghans and Iraqis. About 23 Finnish citizens are receiving support under the system.

"In Finland human trafficking has been identified among Finnish drug users as well as in prisons. They are people who are in some way in vulnerable positions and are [therefore] tempting [to traffickers] in many ways," Kähkönen said.