The European Union Commission has on 27 May adopted new measures to reinforce campaigns against trafficking in human beings in the EU. Illegal migration is the biggest subject currently for the EU to handle as it is affecting the whole region.
The new rules will support victims of the higher and modern level of tools used by the traffickers towards illegal migration. These will also help law enforcement agencies and judiciaries to investigate and persecute new forms of exploitation. Member States are obliged to enforce these rules according to the Commission’s instructions.
What are the new adaptations by the EU Council?
As a part of the new rules issued by the EU Commission, the following measures will assist in tackling illegal migration:
EU-wide data collection
The mandatory collection of data on human trafficking, based on specific indicators, will be published annually by Eurostat. This will indeed help all member countries to access it to verify the details they have on their behalf.
Formal Referral Mechanisms
All EU countries will be mandated to create Formal Referral Mechanisms to improve the early identification and assistance of victims. This will save time and will help late on the judiciary as well. Furthermore, they will establish single national focal points that will serve as the foundation for a European Referral Mechanism.
Knowing the Use of Services
The intentional use of services provided by trafficking victims will be criminalized, aiming to decrease the demand that promotes trafficking.
National Action Plans
National Anti-Trafficking Coordinators will be appointed, and Member States will have the option to designate independent bodies. The choice of choosing designated independent bodies is an extra plus for the EU member states which will help them appoint the relevant people for the right job. Even some NGOs that help victims of illegal migration can help in this task. Additionally, the adoption and regular updating of National Action Plans will become mandatory.
Use of information and communication technologies
Trafficking facilitated by information and communication technologies will be regarded as an aggravating factor, particularly in cases of sexual exploitation, potentially resulting in increased penalties. Modern means of communication have also changed the form of formal crimes. This new addition will help tackle these modern means of exploitation.
The exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage, and illegal adoption
EU member states will need to explicitly incorporate the exploitation of surrogacy, forced marriage, and illegal adoption as forms of exploitation within the definition of trafficking in human beings in their respective national laws.
Some of the immigrants use these issues for family reunification by any means. It will indeed help member states identify these issues as crimes according to the new policy. More knowledge of these rules must prevail through media so that the independence of every single person is respected.