site.btaEU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Schmitt Says Trafficking in Human Beings for Labour Exploitation Has Increased by 51%

Trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation has increased by 51% and 63% of the registered victims are non-European Union (EU) nationals, i.e. migrants, said EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator Diane Schmitt, who spoke online at the opening of the international conference "Human Trafficking: The Route of Labour Migration – Pitfalls and Opportunities for Third-Country Nationals", held in Sofia on Thursday.

Migrants need to know how they can seek legal work abroad and how to avoid fake offers. They need to know how or what their rights are and where they can get support in case something goes wrong, Schmitt said.

The European Commission has launched an awareness-raising campaign on human trafficking in general and is currently in contact with Bulgaria for its second phase, she added.

She said migrants are often at a higher risk of being exploited and traffickers take advantage of their vulnerability.

While the focus of the conference is on labour migration, labour mobility and exploitation, let's not forget other forms of trafficking and possible links, Schmitt urged. For example, sexual exploitation, forced begging, forced criminality. She highlighted that many victims of trafficking are EU citizens, including many Bulgarian citizens. There is a link to migration, but the fight against trafficking is not only about migration, the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator stressed.