site.btaIJM’s Shawn Kohl: Bulgaria: Faces Growing Challenge with Labor Exploitation

Bulgaria, both a source and destination for trafficking victims, is facing a growing challenge in the area of labor exploitation, said Shawn Kohl, Director of the European Program for Combating Human Trafficking at the International Justice Mission (IJM), during the opening of an international conference on " Human Trafficking: The Route of Labour Migration – Pitfalls and Opportunities for Third-Country Nationals".

"As Bulgaria marks just over a month since joining Schengen, we are at a critical moment, reflecting on the opportunities and responsibilities that this transition brings in shaping national and EU policies on labor migration," Kohl commented.

 “Improved cross-border cooperation is crucial for ending human trafficking, and we must be smarter in how we approach this issue,” Kohl said.

He added that businesses also have a role to play in ensuring ethical hiring practices and fair treatment of migrant workers.

"We need to be smarter, better coordinated, and ensure that the business model of selling human beings will be stopped. Just saying these words – buying and selling human beings – is incredibly difficult. But we must speak these truths and bring them to light in order to address them," Kohl said.