site.btaPeople in Pre-retirement Age and Pensioners Believed to Be the Most Vulnerable to Labour Exploitation

People in Pre-retirement Age and Pensioners Believed to Be the Most Vulnerable to Labour Exploitation

Plovdiv, Southern Bulgaria, May 12 (BTA) - Bulgarians of
pre-retirement age and pensioners are most frequently victims of
 human trafficking for labour exploitation. This transpired
Monday when the City Hall in this city, the second largest in
Bulgaria,  and the local office of the Bulgarian Red Cross
announced the start of a campaign aimed to raise awareness of
the risk for one to become a victim of trafficking for labour
exploitation.

The reason why the said age group is most vulnerable is that
pensions in Bulgaria are low and those aged 45 to 65 have
problems finding a job at home and easily fall victims to human
traffickers.

During the summer months, labour migration increases and the
risk for labour exploitation is biggest for Bulgarian seasonal
workers employed to do farm work in Greece, Spain, Sweden, Italy
 and the Czech Republic.

Of a total of 495 registered trafficking victims last year, only
 16 Bulgarians suffered labour exploitation but the real number
is much higher, according to the local commission for fighting
human trafficking. The reason is that most people choose not to
complain to the authorities or are not even aware that they are
victims of exploitation, said the commission's secretary, Tanya
Ivanova.
     
The commission wants people to know that they should not trust
job advertisements handed out in the street with only a name and
 a phone number of them. A candidate for work abroad must always
 make sure that he or she is dealing with an authorized
recruitment company and demand to have an employment contract in
 the Bulgarian language. They also should keep their personal
documents with them at all times when working abroad and should
let his or family know where they are staying and working. A
good advice is to always have an address or a phone number of
the nearest Bulgarian embassy or consular service, the
commission says.