Patterns of exploitation

Trends and modus operandi in human trafficking in Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine

Edited by: Anna-Greta Pekkarinen Anniina Jokinen

EDITED BY:

Anna-Greta Pekkarinen & Anniina Jokinen

COUNTRY MAPPINGS:

Finland: Anna-Greta Pekkarinen, Tiina Turunen, Riikka Huovinen, Saara Haapasaari, Anniina Jokinen & Natalia Ollus

Estonia: Anna Markina, Laura Lajal & Kevin Reim

Latvia: Agnese Zīle-Veisberga, Daiga Gavariņa, Jurijs Misjuns & Māris Indrikovs

Poland: Suzanne Hoff & Irena Dawid

Ukraine: Suzanne Hoff, Kateryna Cherepakha & Kiril Sharapov

HEUNI Report Series no. 103a

Helsinki 2023

This publication was funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund – Police.

The views expressed in the publication are of the authors only and are their sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information contained herein.

EDITORIAL DESIGN:

Lea-Maija Laitinen www.leamaija.works

Aleksandra Anikina

ILLUSTRATIONS:

Freepik

ISBN: 978-952-7249-75-8 (PDF)

ISBN: 978-952-7249-76-5 (paperback)

ISSN: 2814-9106 (online)

For the reader

The ELECT THB-project (Enhanced Law Enforcement Cooperation and Training on Trafficking in Human Beings) is designed to improve the identification and investigation of trafficking in human beings (THB) for sexual and labour exploitation and increase collaboration among law enforcement authorities and other key actors in order to combat such exploitation in Estonia, Latvia and Finland. The project is funded from European Union’s Internal Security Fund – Police, Grant Agreement Number 101021497.

THIS REPORT IS based on data on the modus operandi and routes of traffickers and other actors involved in trafficking, and on trends in trafficking. The data have been collected in the three partner countries, Estonia, Finland and Latvia, as well as in Poland and Ukraine. The information has been collected via desk review as well as through interviews and meetings with representatives of different key stakeholders, such as law enforcement, labour inspection authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and trade unions – thank you for your time and expertise. Data from Estonia, Finland and Latvia were collected by the respective project partners, and data from Poland and Ukraine were collected by La Strada Poland, La Strada Ukraine and La Strada International. Each entity is responsible for their own work, including, e.g., data collection and reporting. This report is an edited version that combines all the country-specific reports. Material from operational exchange visits to Poland and to Lithuania (the latter replacing the planned visit to Ukraine which was not possible due to the war) has also been used in the preparation of this report.

Because the purpose of the work package was to obtain an upto-date picture of the phenomenon, different sources were used, primarily including media articles, (situational) reports and interviews, and to a lesser extent academic sources. The researchers have also participated in numerous meetings, seminars, and informal discussions in which representatives of law enforcement and other authorities have discussed topics related to this report. No confidential information is included in this report.