Global Courant 2023-04-26 20:39:25
GENEVA
A total of 104 victims of human trafficking were identified in Austria in 2022, according to a report released by the country’s police force on Wednesday.
According to the 2022 Situation Report of the Austrian Federal Criminal Police Office, about a third of the victims were women, and the majority of the total were from third countries such as Iraq and India.
The report also pointed out that the victims were abused as workers, adding that 49 suspects, 41 of whom were men and eight of whom were women, reported to the authorities.
Twenty suspects, 14 of whom were men and six of whom were women, of cross-border prostitution trafficking, out of a total of 33 female victims, were reported.
The report also noted that eight female victims were minors and one among those exposed to cross-border prostitution was under the age of 18.
Underlining that victims of human trafficking are almost never seen in civil society, he said their abuses took place in secrecy. Austria is in a special position due to its geographical location as it is not only a transit country but also a target country for human trafficking.
According to the EU Commission, more than 7,000 people are victims of human trafficking in Europe each year, with the fear that the number of unreported cases will rise significantly.
The annual cost of human trafficking in the EU is 2.7 billion Euros ($2.98 billion). Most of the victims are women and girls, but an increasing number of men are also affected, particularly in the field of labor exploitation.
Last December, the EU Commission proposed new measures against human trafficking. For example, forced marriage and illegal adoption will count as forms of exploitation in the future.
Companies held responsible for crimes related to human trafficking will also face binding penalties.
However, EU member states and the European Parliament have yet to negotiate the proposals.
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