Overcoming Barriers to Preventing the Human Trafficking of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Greece

Towards the end of 2022, our Data Analyst, Laura Schack, wrote a piece about “Overcoming Barriers to Preventing the Human Trafficking of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Greece”. Laura discusses the relationship between human trafficking, modern slavery, and the refugee movement and how STOP THE TRAFFIK Group’s Aman Safety team works to prevent the human trafficking of asylum seekers and refugees in Greece and Türkiye. 

Refugees and other people on the move are at a high risk of human trafficking and being trapped into situations of modern slavery due to their precarious living situations and their vulnerability to criminals seeking to prey on and exploit them. The relationship between human trafficking, modern slavery and refugee movements towards Europe is demonstrated particularly starkly in Libya, where people trying to reach Europe are routinely imprisoned, forced into labour under inhuman conditions, and even ‘sold into sex slavery or to smugglers by detention centre staff’.

However, the human trafficking of migrants and refugees occurs in a more insidious and overlooked manner to people on the move everywhere, including throughout Europe. In Greece, refugees and asylum-seekers are especially targeted by traffickers for sexual and labour exploitation. A vital first step towards tackling human trafficking and protecting people on the move is to develop greater awareness of the risks of trafficking, both among vulnerable communities and the NGOs and state actors seeking to support them.

Addressing these gaps is a key goal of STOP THE TRAFFIK’s Aman Safety team which aims to prevent the human trafficking of asylum seekers and refugees in Greece and Turkey through building risk aware and resilient communities.

To read the full blog, click here.