The Civil Guard and the A21 association carry out a campaign against trafficking in human beings for the purpose of forced labor and labor exploitation
Its objective is the prevention of trafficking in persons by raising awareness and protecting victims in shelters and transition homes, as well as the prosecution of traffickers and the strengthening of the legal response.
An information booklet “Passport to indicators of trafficking” has been distributed, listing very easy to detect indicators, to alert potential victims of trafficking for the purpose of forced labor and encourage them to report
Since January, the Civil Guard has carried out 952 inspections in places susceptible to labor exploitation, has informed 5,056 people of their rights, has released 68 victims and has arrested 38 perpetrators
The general director of the Civil Guard, Félix Azón, and the director in Spain of the A21 association, Loida Muñoz, today presented an awareness campaign against trafficking in human beings for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation.
The objective of this campaign is the prevention of trafficking in persons by raising awareness and protecting victims in shelters and transition homes. It also pursues the prosecution of traffickers and the strengthening of the legal response, as well as the association with security forces and bodies, individuals and corporations, official bodies and other organizations.
The director general has stressed the importance of promoting, through initiatives such as this one, the elimination of any type of work carried out under conditions of what is considered modern slavery as a result of the perverse action of criminal organizations and groups. Felix Azón wanted to thank the work that the A21 organization does to respond to these needs, as well as its collaboration with the Civil Guard. Finally, it has been aimed at the victims, to whom this campaign is essentially oriented, which seeks to help them be aware of their situation of vulnerability and encourage them, where appropriate, to denounce.
“Passport to indicators of trafficking”
The Civil Guard and A21 have presented a informative brochure aimed at possible victims "Passport to indicators of trafficking" in which the main indicators of trafficking in human beings are presented in a simple way, so that victims can be recognized in them and become aware of their circumstances. Together with the indicators, the brochure makes an invitation to the victims and to all those who are aware of a case of trafficking / labor exploitation, so that they can inform the Civil Guard of their situation.
It has a passport format and the content goes in nine languages (English, French, Romanian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic) all printed and included in the same brochure, so that it can be distributed to all types of people in The whole territory.
The languages have been chosen based on the languages spoken by the victims of trafficking in our country, since in many cases these people do not know Spanish due to the isolation brought by the traffickers.
The distribution will be carried out by the Civil Guard, both within the framework of inspections in particularly sensitive points such as farms in agricultural areas or hostess clubs. It will also be distributed in points frequented by foreign citizens such as ports or airports.
Collaboration of A21 with the Civil Guard
A21 has been collaborating with the Civil Guard in a very active way, since they began their activity in our country, providing information on human trafficking events that have led to investigations and, above all, coordinating and intermediating with other NGOs to respond to the needs in the protection and assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings and exploitation released in the operations carried out by different units of the Corps.
In recent months, your support has been key to the relocation of numerous victims to resources in our country. An example of this is the UROFORT operation, about a criminal organization that offered temporary crews to work on the olive harvesting campaign. 20 people were arrested / investigated and 13 victims of Romanian and Moldovan nationality were released, who were restored to their rights through resources managed through A21.
68 victims released so far this year
The Civil Guard published in January "Forced labor", a documentary in which the problem, the suffering of the victims and the work of the Benemérita in this matter are visible.
So far this year, the Civil Guard has carried out 952 inspections in places susceptible to labor exploitation throughout the national territory and has informed a total of 5,056 people of their rights. In addition, 20 investigations have been carried out, 68 victims have been released and 38 perpetrators have been arrested.
The Civil Guard, since 2010, has carried out a total of 13,678 actions against labor exploitation and trafficking in human beings for these purposes, has informed 87,588 people of their rights and has arrested 2,096 people for such crimes in 625 investigations . In addition, the Civil Guard has released 2,916 victims.
The importance of international cooperation with other countries and other police forces with which the Civil Guard works closely in the persecution and eradication of these criminal groups must also be stressed.
A21 Association
The A21 association (A21.org) is an international non-profit organization that has 14 offices in 12 countries and whose mission is the rescue of people in slavery or trafficking in human beings to restore their rights (www.A21 .org) This is carried out through an integral work in the processes of detection and accompaniment to victims in all its forms.
It has 14 offices in 12 countries, one of them in Barcelona, with a comprehensive strategy based on three pillars: reaching the vulnerable and interrupting demand, sensitizing people through events, making presentations to students and developing educational programs; rescue victims and demand justice, collaboration and cooperation with the Security Forces and Bodies; restore their rights with legal assistance, representing survivors in judicial proceedings and collaborating with governments and other NGOs. They also offer accommodation, medical care, legal advice, education, employment and voluntary return.
Among the functions they perform, prevention and awareness activities are distinguished through conferences in schools, universities, communities or businesses that this year have received more than 2,000 people in Spain. They also work face to face with each person in their care, providing them with access to housing, medical treatment, counseling, education, employment and repatriation based on their individual needs.
In Spain, other initiatives such as the global event #CaminandoPorLibertad have developed other initiatives such as the global event, a silent march that was hosted last year in 450 locations in more than 50 countries and that took place here in 22 cities. The next event will be October 19.
For any information you can contact the Press Office of the Civil Guard on the phone 91 514 60 10, or with A21 through the email info.es@a21.org
