Un componente esencial de la gestión de la migración es lograr que los migrantes que necesiten protección y asistencia sean efectivamente identificados y remitidos a los servicios adecuados. Las necesidades de protección y asistencia de las personas víctimas de la trata pueden ser complejas y serias. Algunas víctimas tienen que ser protegidas contra tratantes pertenecientes a grupos y redes de la delincuencia organizada o que están buscando una compensación por las que consideran deudas pendientes. Otras tendrán necesidades de cuidados específicos porque son niños o mujeres embarazadas, o por algún otro problema de salud física o mental. Puede haber combinaciones de problemas sanitarios y sociales, particularmente cuando la persona ha tenido múltiples experiencias negativas. Por ejemplo, una misma persona puede estar solicitando asilo, necesitar protección contra los tratantes, haber sido víctima de la violencia y haber cometido un delito menor, y tener una familia que ha sido amenazada en el país de origen.
At his initial asylum interview, 16-year-old Masoud tells the Austrian police that his family was being threatened by the Taliban and so fled Afghanistan. He is summoned twice for an in-depth interview but misses both appointments. He arrives punctually at the third interview and is asked why he missed the other meetings. He looks at the floor and says that he had to work. He talks about how he worries about his mother in Afghanistan and is working hard to support her and build a life for them both in Austria. He explains that he runs errands for his uncle every day, leaving him little time for school. When asked whether he is paid, he responds, “Not directly. My mom will get the money. My uncle will send it to her.” Masoud’s mother, however, claims that so far no money has arrived.
Masoud’s situation underlines the need for those who come into contact with potential victims of trafficking to understand that trafficked people may fall into other protection categories.
The text box reveals some indicators of potential trafficking. Masoud is vulnerable to being exploited as a minor who is in a foreign country and seeking asylum. The fact that he is working in such a way that prohibits him from attending an important meeting and interferes with his schooling, indicates a situation of concern. The fact that Masoud does not directly receive money, and that his mother also does not receive the money that he thinks she is receiving, is an indicator of exploitation. Because Masoud is a child (being under the age of 18), only an “act” for the purpose of exploitation would need to be proven; the “means” element of the trafficking crime does not need to be proven where the victim is a child. Whether this situation constitutes one of trafficking in persons would require further examination, meaning that the officials coming into contact with Masoud should refer him to stakeholders in the country who are able to carry out further screening for potential trafficking.
- Establish protection and assistance frameworks, systems and capacity-building to cater for the multiple and complex needs that a migrant may have. Ensure that these frameworks and systems are adequately resourced.
- Connect migration actors with other stakeholders involved in prevention, protection and prosecution so that they are able to effectively partner with each other for the best protection outcomes.
- Ensure that the protection provided includes meeting basic needs such as medical and psychosocial care, and temporary accommodation.
- Train stakeholders to recognize indicators of trafficking so that they can refer potential victims for further screening.
- Ensure that indicators are sufficiently detailed and informed by analysis of local trafficking trends.
La identificación de las víctimas de la trata es necesaria para que los Estados puedan cumplir efectivamente su deber de protegerlas. Si no son identificadas como tales, las víctimas seguirán probablemente siento objeto de abuso y explotación, y sus derechos –incluido el derecho a protección y asistencia– quedarán desatendidos. Una persona reconocida como víctima de la trata adquiere de inmediato el derecho a protección y asistencia, así como a la satisfacción de sus necesidades básicas, la atención médica y psicosocial y un alojamiento temporal, entre otras cosas. Esto se aplica a las víctimas que son migrantes aun cuando estén en el país en situación irregular. En algunos casos, según el marco de protección que rija en el país de destino, las víctimas que sean migrantes pueden tener derecho a recibir un permiso de residencia temporal o permanente. Es importante que los migrantes que son víctimas de la trata sean reconocidos como tales, para evitar la posibilidad de que sean detenidos y sometidos equivocadamente a una medida irreversible, como la expulsión forzosa.
Dificultades de la identificación de las víctimas
Aunque claramente importante, la identificación es una tarea difícil. Muchas víctimas de la trata no están dispuestas a revelar su situación a las autoridades, o no saben cómo hacerlo. En algunos casos, tienen interés en no ser identificadas, por ejemplo si están en situación irregular y temen que el resultado no sea la protección y la asistencia, sino la detención y la expulsión (véase más información sobre las tasas más bajas de identificación de los hombres como víctimas de la trata en la sección sobre el género, la explotación y la violencia de género del capítulo Género y migración). Además de estar en situación irregular, algunos migrantes pueden haber participado (a sabiendas o no) en actividades ilegales menores y tener miedo de ser detenidos como delincuentes. Asimismo, es posible que las víctimas no sepan específicamente que son víctimas de la trata, y algunas habrán incluso dado su consentimiento a los arreglos que luego se convirtieron en explotación. Aun cuando una persona parezca haber estado de acuerdo, en principio, con un arreglo injusto, no deja por eso de ser víctima de la trata.
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Traffickers may have cultivated romantic or other dependent relationships with victims.
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They may threaten victims or their families in origin countries and have the power to deliver on these threats.
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Traffickers may leverage the fear of shame and stigmatization by threatening to send victims’ families photos or videos of their exploitation and abuse unless they remain in their situation.
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Traffickers may perform religious rituals as a means of controlling victims.
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Traffickers may be powerful, with influence that reaches State authorities.
These challenges point to the skills and good judgement required by authorities to see behind the surface appearance of a migrant’s situation, to identify whether the migrant might have been trafficked.
Responses to identification and referral of victims
First responders (people who may encounter potential victims of trafficking in the course of their work) will often use indicators to screen potential victims.
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Sensitize to trafficking actors engaged across all levels of migration management. This will ensure actors understand how their own attitudes may pose a barrier to their ability to identify and respond appropriately to potential victims of trafficking.
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Establish effective procedures for identifying victims of trafficking. Effective identification procedures capture all victims of trafficking, regardless of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic or social origin, or disability, and regardless of the type of exploitation they have been subjected to.
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Provide regular sensitivity and capacity-building training to first responders.
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Ensure that consular officers play a role in identifying victims of trafficking among their nationals abroad.
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Equip first responders with checklists and other identification tools to screen potential victims.
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Regularly review and update identification checklists and tools.
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Link migration intelligence with criminal justice intelligence to support identification of potential victims of trafficking. It is important to do so without affecting the rights of the migrants and/or victims of trafficking concerned.
Read more on the role of border officials in identifying victims in Chapter Regulating migration: Border management.
When potential victims of trafficking are identified, they must then be referred to agencies responsible for providing protection and assistance services:
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Establish protection mechanisms for the referral of potential victims of trafficking. A protection mechanism should include a wide range of different specialized services, addressing the specific needs of each individual.
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Identify and prepare a list of service providers who can support victims of trafficking in different areas: housing, legal procedures, health, psychological support.
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Separate referral procedures from migration management, to ensure that victims do not face barriers to accessing services.
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Put in place a national referral mechanism (NRM) that links individuals with the protection-related services and support they require (IOM, 2019a).
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Enter into memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) in partnership with relevant State and non-State actors to clarify roles and responsibilities in protecting and assisting victims of trafficking.
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Bali Process, Bali Process Policy Guide on Identifying Victims of Trafficking, 2015.
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The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), From Reception to Recognition: Identifying and Protecting Human Trafficking in Mixed Migration Flows – A Focus on First Identification and Reception Facilities for refugees and Migrants in the OSCE Region, 2018.
En virtud del artículo 6 del Protocolo contra la Trata de Personas, los Estados partes deben:
- proteger la privacidad y la identidad de las víctimas;
- velar por que las víctimas reciban información adecuada sobre los procedimientos judiciales;
- considerar la posibilidad de aplicar medidas para la recuperación física, psicológica y social;
- esforzarse por garantizar la seguridad física de las víctimas;
- prever medidas que brinden a las víctimas la posibilidad de obtener indemnización por los daños sufridos mediante actuaciones civiles y penales;
- ofrecer a las víctimas acceso a la justicia, con inclusión de información y asistencia letrada, independientemente de su situación migratoria.
Según la situación y los mecanismos que existan en cada Estado, los recursos pueden incluir órdenes de indemnización dictadas contra los tratantes por los tribunales penales, planes de indemnización financiados por el Estado y demandas civiles interpuestas por las víctimas, así como los recursos disponibles en el derecho laboral (ICAT, 2016d). En la práctica, garantizar que las víctimas tengan acceso a un recurso ha resultado ser uno de los aspectos más arduos de la asistencia a las víctimas.
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The Inter-Agency Coordination Group Against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), Providing effective remedies for victims of trafficking in persons, 2016.
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United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Draft basic principles on the right to an effective remedy for victims of trafficking in persons, 2014.
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IOM, Remediation Guidelines for Victims of Exploitation in Extended Mineral Supply Chains, 2018.
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United Nations Women et al., Essential services package for women and girls subject to violence, 2015.
States have taken different approaches to fulfilling their duty to protect and assist victims of trafficking. These approaches include passing laws that set out specific protections for victims of trafficking; building shelters to cater for the specific needs of victims of trafficking; investing in funds to support victims; and training practitioners to ensure that victims of trafficking are treated as more than just criminal justice resources when they are serving as witnesses in proceedings against traffickers.
The assistance provided to each victim will depend on the social vulnerability and the individual needs of that victim, as well as of their families and community, and can include:
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Shelter and accommodation;
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Personal safety and security;
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Medical and healthcare services, including mental health and psychosocial support;
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Livelihoods, employment, and income generation;
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Family tracing, assessment, and reunification;
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Return and reintegration assistance, and access to justice (IOM, 2019a).
Read more on this issue in sub-topic Return and reintegration of migrants vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse in Chapter Return and reintegration.
There are several good practice principles that should underpin any action taken. Approaches taken should be rights based, with the interests of victims at the forefront of any decisions made.
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Avoid making victim protection conditional on a victim’s participation in the criminal justice system. Victim interests should take priority over migration management agendas where the two conflict.
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Regularize the status of victims to enable them to receive services they require. The provision of temporary or permanent visas is one way to achieve this.
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Avoid detaining, charging or prosecuting victims for immigration or other minor offences committed in the course of being trafficked.
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Provide victims with effective and appropriate legal remedies and other assistance through criminal, civil or other proceedings.
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Provide child victims with assistance and protection in accordance with their special rights and needs.
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Do not force victims to receive any protection and assistance services to which they do not consent.
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Inform victims of their rights to diplomatic and consular representatives from their State of nationality.
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Protect victims from further harm by traffickers. For instance, protect their privacy and confidentiality.
States Parties to the Trafficking Protocol are also required to take appropriate measures to effectively protect witnesses in criminal proceedings (as well as their relatives and others, as appropriate) from retaliation or intimidation (article 24, UNTOC)
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Conduct risk assessments before, during and after trials. The protection needs of victims of trafficking might change during the process, and so might the appropriate measures needed to protect them.
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Encourage the cooperation of law enforcement authorities across borders to ensure that victims and their families are protected from any kind of threats and retaliation of transnational trafficking networks.
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Make available specialized State and non-State service providers in criminal justice processes in which migrants appear as victims and/or witnesses. Such specialists might include case workers, interpreters, and child support workers or guardians where victims are unaccompanied children.
States are the primary duty bearers with respect to victim protection and assistance, but other actors may also have a role to play in supporting them to fulfil their obligations. Read more on national coordination in Partnerships: Cooperation against trafficking in persons
- El Protocolo contra la Trata de Personas reconoce la necesidad de ofrecer protección y asistencia a las víctimas, pero condiciona esta obligación a los recursos y las capacidades de los Estados. A nivel regional y nacional, los instrumentos jurídicos van más allá e imponen a los Estados obligaciones específicas con respecto a la protección y asistencia a las víctimas.
- La identificación de las víctimas de la trata es necesaria para que los Estados puedan cumplir efectivamente su deber de protegerlas.
- Cuando se detecta una posible víctima de la trata, debe ser remitida a los organismos encargados de los servicios de protección y asistencia.
- La identificación, remisión y protección de las víctimas debería basarse en los derechos, con la debida consideración de los intereses de la víctima como elemento prioritario en la adopción de decisiones.