Kolumni Helsinki Timesissä: EU has to do more fighting against human trafficking 25.4.2008
More than a million people end up in the hands of human traffickers each year. The international society has taken steps towards combating human trafficking. Yet further actions must be taken.
200 000 women and children are sold per year in Europe only. That’s amount of a big city in Finland. Why aren’t we taking tougher actions? Why human trafficking is not one of the most important issues?
States have to take the problem seriously. National legislation has to be updated in order to answer the challenges posed by the international crime. Co-operation between security officials has to be better and faster.
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Globalization increased cultural and political awareness among cultures. It has also enabled nations and states to fight against poverty and achieve economic growth. Goods, money as well as ideas change owners. Sadly, in the era of globalization also people are sold and bought.
Human trafficking is, together with illegal arms and drugs trade, the biggest source of income for the international crime. Most of the victims are women and children. Human trafficking is a major problem in many less developed countries where legislation and monitoring are insufficient. Nevertheless approximately twenty percent of the victims are sold in the western countries.
The forms of the human trafficking have changed over time. In the 1990s the international society became aware of sweatshops in Asia and the scope of children as labour force. The victims also work at constructions sites, restaurants and in agriculture.
Furthermore, trafficking is strongly connected with prostitution. It is estimated that roughly 70 percent of the victims of human trafficking end up in sex industry.
Human trafficking is not an unknown issue in Finland. A Latvian girl who was promised work in a Finnish farm, on her way to Finland she realised that she was sold to be a prostitute. The girl worked as a sex slave for three weeks before she was able to return back home.
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The implementation of the Prum Treaty, treaty to exchange cross border information between EU States, is a vital tool on fighting human trafficking. Free movement is an important issue for European citizens. Free movement gives also space and possibilities for international crime organizations.
Our borders are open, but we are weak in the field of inner security co-operation. We need to realise that a crime in an EU member state is also a crime in other States. Your problem is also our problem and vice versa.
People have been criticizing the Prum Treaty as it would harm people’s privacy. That’s not the case. The Prum Treaty is against criminals and to protect the security in Europe. EU would not be a convincing global player if our backyard is full of criminals and human rights violations.
Everyone has to take the human trafficking problem seriously. The World and Europe has lots of treaties and agreements to improve human rights and fight against crime. We need real action more than never.
Anneli Jäätteenmäki
Member of the European Parliament
