Things usually tend to look good on the outside, but when one cares to go within, there are cracks.
True for lanky structures that may, over a period of time, lose their tensile strength. Also true for the waning reflexes of a super-talented F1 driver. And as it turns out, also true for the “world’s happiest country” Finland!
So how’s that?
The problem of human trafficking, it appears, is a great nadir of the Finnish society, not a recent issue that has sprung along parallel to the defunct-COVID era; but a serious issue that is venomous much like a Rattlesnake bite.
What’s certain is that Human trafficking is an issue that exists in the Sanna Marin-led country, though to what extent has the issue crept up in the quietly understated Nordic society is something one sought more information on.
Having said that, it helps to know that 2022 onwards, no fewer than 139 individuals including their children were actually enrolled as clients in the assistance program being offered by the Finnish Immigration Service.
But is that all; never before has one seen so many reported cases of human trafficking as what one finds in 2022, which is when a little over a quarter of a year is ahead of us and 2022 isn’t done and dusted.
All of that being said, in a report published by Schengen Visa info (www.schengenvisainfo.com), the following glaring realities surfaced to life with regards to human trafficking in Finland:
In addition, many of them are considered victims of human trafficking for forced labour or other forms of labour exploitation in Finland.
At the beginning of 2022, 139 people and their 26 minor children were accepted as clients in the assistance system.
“People who have fallen victim to human trafficking in Finland are identified by non-governmental organizations in particular,” Senior Adviser at the assistance system for victims of human trafficking, Terhi Tafari, pointed out in this regard.
According to the Finnish Immigration Service, some new clients, 63 adults and three minors, were suspected of falling victim to the exploitation that indicated human trafficking in Finland. The 38 victims in Finland were most often subjected to forced labor, about 16 people to sexual exploitation, and 11 to forced marriage.
Meanwhile, victims of exploitation were most often nationals from countries such as Iraq, Finland, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Russia, and Morocco.
There is a strong motivation to become employed, but without a clear understanding of the rules of working life, the risk of becoming exploited increases,” Tafari also noted.
All of that being said, in the first half of 2022 itself, several industries and fields were earmarked as being hotspots for heinous crimes with regards to human rights exploitation.
Among them, car washing industry, working in greenhouses, cafes and restaurants and other zones that were believed to be rife with human trafficking crimes.
What’s also concerning given the prevalent scenario is that many Ukrainians who are arriving in Finland may remain wary of just how bad the human trafficking situation is. What must be done therefore, experts suggest, is for them to be properly guided to what their rights in Finland are; information on the said subject matter is also available in Ukrainian on the right information portals.