Sharp increase in victims of human trafficking in Switzerland
The number of victims of human trafficking in Switzerland increased by 50% between 2019 and 2021.
This content was published on October 18, 2022 – 09:54
In 2021, the Swiss platform against human trafficking identified 207 new victims of human trafficking, compared to 142 in 2019. The overwhelming majority (81%) are women, but the proportion of male victims has increased from 13% to 19% in the last year. The platform announced on Tuesday.
About two thirds of the victims were trafficked for sexual purposes. The rest is made up of victims of labor exploitation and those pushed into criminal activities.
Those affected were exploited in private households, in restaurants, nail salons, on construction sites or forced to beg or engage in illegal activities such as theft.
The victims came from 55 different countries, with Nigeria, Romania, Brazil and Hungary being the main places of origin. Around 40% of these came from Africa, 30% from European countries, 17% from Asia and 12% from Latin America.
According to advice and counseling centers, there are two main reasons for the increase in the number of victims. Firstly, increased awareness in the police, asylum, social and health sectors enabled more cases to be identified and brought to the platform.
Second, the increase in the number of victims may also indicate a general increase in human trafficking. According to the platform, the vulnerability of many people has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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