Migrant Vulnerability to Human Trafficking

Evidence from Mediterranean Routes

On 21 december IOM (International Organization for Migration) issued a report on “Migrant Vulnerability to Human Trafficking and Exploitation: Evidence from the Central and Eastern Mediterranean Migration Routes”. The report. In this unprecedented time of mass migration one in seven people is a migrant. For some migrants the path they must take in search of a better life can be very precarious and even dangerous. Irregular and unsafe migration routes can increase vulnerability to violence, abuse and exploitation, including trafficking in persons. In 2015 and 2016, there was a large increase in arrivals of migrants and refugees fleeing protracted conflict, poverty and persecution, and seeking security and economic opportunities in Europe. The largest number of recorded migrant arrivals to Europe in 2015 occurred on the Eastern Mediterranean route. IOM research shows that more than one third (37%) of all interviewed migrants had a personal experience that indicated the presence of human trafficking or other exploitative practices along the route. Seventy-three per cent of migrants interviewed along the Central Mediterranean route presented at least one indicator of exploitation, along with 14 per cent of migrants interviewed along the Eastern Mediterranean route. Read  more…