Human Trafficking and Migration
Human trafficking is often seen as synonymous with irregular migration. To be sure, many persons from poor countries who cannot migrate legally are lured to affluent countries by traffickers promising employment and other opportunities.
However, trafficking does not need to involve the crossing of international borders, and not all irregular migrants are victims of trafficking. When trafficked persons are treated as irregular migrants, there is a risk of double victimisation. The deportation of victims of trafficking to their home countries not only fails to take into account the interests and needs of trafficked persons, but also undermines efforts to prosecute traffickers. After all, victims refrain from contacting the authorities for fear of deportation and deported persons can no longer serve as witnesses for the prosecution.
Finally, a focus on irregular migration tends to put the blame on sending countries, obscuring the fact that the demand for sexual services and cheap labor in affluent countries is a major driving force behind trafficking.
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