Finland assists nearly 1,000 victims of human trafficking

Almost a thousand people are receiving help from the Finnish system of assistance to victims of human trafficking, says the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) in a press release.

"The Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking (NAS) today has more clients than ever before," the immigration agency said in its statement. Out of its 992 clients, 770 are presumed or identified victims of human trafficking and 222 are their minor children.

The number of customers has more than tripled during the recent years. A year ago, there were 804 people within the scope of services at the end of June. On 30 June 2019 the same number was 587, a year before that it was 379 an in 2017 it was no more than 269.

According to Migri, 109 new clients were admitted into the Assistance System at the beginning of 2021. 45 of them had become victims of human trafficking in Finland, while 64 had been exploited outside Finland.

People who became victims of human trafficking in Finland had most commonly been exploited in forced labour, prostitution or sexual slavery, forced marriage or in forced criminal activity.

Forced labour was typically identified in the restaurant and cleaning industries, but individual cases were identified in other industries, as well.

Exploited abroad

Victims who had been exploited in Finland found their way to the Assistance System most often through their own request for help or were referred to assistance by Victim Support Finland.

Those exploited outside Finland were typically identified and referred to the Assistance System by the Finnish Immigration Service. 

This information is contained in the semiannual report of the Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking.