CONTENTS
 
‹– IDENTIFICATION OF PEOPLE THAT SUFFERED BECAUSE OF TRAFFICKING IN PEOPLE – AN IMPORTANT STEP IN FACILITATION OF ACCESS THEREOF TO ULTERIOR ASSISTANCE –›

Viorelia RUSU,
social assistance manager, International Center „La Strada”

Comprehensive approach to organization of social assistance for trafficked people, which is applied by the International Center „La Strada”, presupposes implication in the assistance process right from identification till re-integration in the country of origin. One of the key elements from which assistance to the trafficked people initiates is identification thereof. This process facilitates access of such people to ulterior
assistance. At the same time, identification is one of the most difficult processes. The experience in identification of trafficked people, accumulated by the International Center „La Strada”, can serve as basis for strengthening of efforts of domestic organizations, involved in identification, protection, and provision of assistance to such people.

According to some experts’ estimates, about 65% of trafficked people are not identified (Barbara Limanowska, Trafficking in people in South-East. Status Quo and Combating Trafficking in People in Albania, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, former Republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Moldova, and Romania. UNICEF, UNOHCCHR, OSCE/ODIHR. Belgrade, 2002, p.142.

Identified Issues

  • Unidentified trafficked people have no access to ulterior rehabilitation assistance; they have very little chance to (re)integrate in their families and in the society1.
  • Identification of trafficked people by personnel, which has no training in this field, can lead to re-victimization of these people or to loss of contact with them.
  • Dissemination of the opinion that the status of victim can be „attributed” (trafficked person can be identified only by law-enforcement authorities; correspondingly, assistance can be conditioned by the trafficked person’s collaboration with the police).
  • Trafficked people do not apply for help because they do not know about the organizations, which can support them in their native or foreign country, or because they do not trust anybody.
  • Many trafficked people do not „auto-identify”, thus rejecting/refusing the offered assistance.
Hot Line is the Contact Center’s indispensable tool for trafficked people since it is an alternative way to access assistance.

Solutions

Suggested are the following means to solve the identified issues:

  • strengthen the role of the confidential Hot Line in identification of trafficked people; to facilitate access to assistance by assessing the needs and organizing the assistance, including by means of referral to providers of services;
  • create a referral mechanism at the national and international level on the basis of professional groups, and to strengthen the role thereof in facilitation of trafficked people’s access to assistance and in the professional approach to the case;
  • continuously improve the process of identification of trafficked people, taking into account the newest trends of the phenomenon and basing on identification of cases of violation of basic human rights, using a trained personnel for this purpose;
  • custom-tailored approach to each case; offer psychosocial rehabilitation assistance which is adequate to beneficiary’s status.

Method of Work

Strengthening of the confidential Hot Line’s role in identification of trafficked people

During 2002-2004, the International Center „La Strada” had identified 140 cases of trafficking in people and rendered assistance to about 290 victims of trafficking in people, as well as to their family members.

The Hot Line, operated by the International Center „La Strada”,has turned out to be an efficient tool in terms of facilitation of trafficked people’s access to assistance by means of identification thereof, being the most important interlink between the trafficked people and the providers of services. This is due to:

1. Accessibility:

  • possibility to call 24/24 hours, 7 days a week;
  • free of charge access on the territory of the Republic of Moldova;
  • simultaneous consultation of up to 3 people by professional
    consultants;
  • observance of principles of confidentiality and anonymity.

2. Professional approaches and abilities of the Hot Line consultants to come up, including in emergency situations, with organization of assistance for trafficked people:

  • identification of trafficking cases and identification of urgent and current needs of trafficked people;
  • organization of redemption of trafficked people from the place of exploitation (local and foreign) by contacting partner-organizations from a given country;
  • organization of repatriation of the trafficked people, inclusive of the under-aged;
  • organization of rehabilitation and re-integration of the repatriated trafficked people, by referring thereof to specialized organizations in the Republic of Moldova;
  • monitoring of status of the assisted victims;
  • distribution of information about the available services and means of access to such, as well as about the rights of trafficked people.

Feed-back on behalf of beneficiaries, who can call the Hot Line anytime to discuss any issue, at every stage of assistance, allows
to target the services offered by members of the national network of organizations to the interests and benefit of these people, monitoring the quality of the offered services.

Creation of the referral system for assistance and protection of the trafficked people, and strengthening of this system

The referral system has two basic functions:
A. preliminary identification
B. satisfaction of trafficked people’s needs by means of referral.

The following are premises, which established the function of preliminary identification:

  • high number of deported trafficked people;
  • lack of self-identification of the trafficked people;
  • trafficked people’s ignorance of their rights; fear to address to the law-enforcement authorities and desire to enjoy the services without giving evidence (to keep secret about what happened). Referral System is the Contact Center’s indispensable tool for trafficked people.

In this regard, the International Center „La Strada” has built relations and is now collaborating with diplomatic missions, centers for psychosocial assistance, migration centers, NGOs, and other local and foreign organizations that work with migrants, victims of domestic violence, vagabond children, asylums and reception centers, law-enforcement authorities, etc. The key role of these organizations is to establish the contact with a would-be trafficked person, to inform the person about capacities of the Contact Center, including by dissemination of materials targeted to the trafficked people (drafted by the International Center „La Strada” in languages they understand) and referral thereof to the Contact Center for trafficked people.

Collaboration is based on the following three principal pillars: (a) professional training and continuous distribution of information by the International Center „La Strada”, (b) drafting and application of common operational procedures, and (c) referral of cases depending on needs of trafficked people.

The following are premises, which formed the basis of satisfaction of trafficked people needs through the referral mechanism:

  • ignorance of assistance services;
  • lack of trained personnel;
  • victimization.

Thus, the referral mechanism comprises providers of services, selected in compliance with needs of trafficked people (such as psychosocial, medical, legal, humanitarian services, asylum or temporary lodging, training and vocational guidance, assistance to children, etc.) The key avenue of collaboration is in taking the case over (partially or integrally) by a specialized organization right from the stage of satisfaction of this or that need, which is already identified by the International Center „La Strada” as element of the outlined psychosocial profile. Collaboration with these organizations also has its pillars: (a) professional training and continuous consultation of service providers by the International Center „La Strada”, (b) drafting and application of common operational procedures in terms of case management, (c) monitoring of cases by specialists from the Contact Center for trafficked people, (d) attraction of other providers of specialized services, if necessary.

As a result of continuous strengthening of the referral system, the number of appeals on behalf of trained professional groups increased by 18% in 2003, and by 20% in 2004; whereas the number of organizations/providers of services with whom collaboration was established with a view of satisfying the needs of trafficked people, reached about 200 from about 50 countries.

Within the referral system, collaboration is based on the following key principles confidentiality, primacy of beneficiary’s decision, management of specific case according to its category (for instance, trafficked children). Professional training program, carried out by the International Center „La Strada”, includes mandatory sessions, among which there are as follows: awareness of the victim’s current psycho-social status, understanding of behavior; establishment of contact with the trafficked people, avoidance of re-victimization; urgent interference; group management of case; work with the referred cases, etc.

Continuous improvement of the trafficked people identification method

The process of trafficked people identification is based on the following elements:

  • identification of violation of basic human rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights became mandatory for the Republic of Moldova on 10.12.1948);
  • use of definition „trafficking in people” from the UN Protocol
    to Suppress, Prevent, and Punish Trafficking, Especially Trafficking In Women And Children, as well as the definitions of „trafficking”, „trafficked person” from the Standard Principles of Human Rights Regarding Treatment of Trafficked People of the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW, STV etc.), from the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Republic of Moldova (Law No. 122-XV as of 14.03.2003, art. 58);
  • custom-tailored approach to each case, taking into account the type of exploitation, specifics of the country where exploitation takes place, etc.

Employees of „La Strada” perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of cases, whose efficiency also depends on the procedure of identification of trafficked people. In the activity of identification of trafficked people, the Center’s employees use questionnaire, which was purposefully drafted on the basis of identified and assisted trafficking cases. At the same time, it is necessary to underline that each case is as specific as it does not allow to use patterns in this complex procedure.This is why when identifying trafficked people we take into account new trends and changes in the phenomenon, the mechanism of trafficking, as well as the psycho-social status of beneficiary.

The International Center „La Strada” drafted a „Guide of social assistance to the trafficked people”, a guidelines for social assistants, and a leaflet „Step By Step”, designed for trafficked people, which, according to its contents, is a unique publication of this type in the region.

The methodology of identification of trafficking cases, used by the International Center „La Strada”, refers to violation of basic human rights in the process of recruitment/transportation and exploitation, which is not necessarily confirmed by the police. In this respect, the Center is guided by the international norms and standards, which envisage that the trafficked people (including children) should have access to assistance, regardless of their decision to give evidence against the suspected traffickers during the criminal proceedings or not.

Custom-tailored approach to cases

1. Establishment of Contact with Trafficked Person.

It is known that due to various reasons trafficked people prefer to hide the truth about what happened. As a rule, they do not appeal to the law-enforcement authorities (they do not want to give evidence – they are afraid of traffickers’ repressions both against them, and against their family members). This is why it is very important to create an atmosphere of understanding, trust, and safety.

2. Distribution of Information About Possible Assistance On Behalf of Organizations That Provide Services (including at the beneficiary’s place of residence).

Social assistants from the International Center “La Strada” obligatorily inform the identified/presumable persons, as survivors in trafficking, about the possible assistance on behalf of competent organizations (they hand in specialized informative materials, for instance, leaflets, posters, etc.), explain their rights (including the right to refuse assistance at any stage).

“La Strada” social assistants offer the necessary contact information about organizations that provide services and inform the victims about the possibility of acting as intermediary with the specialized organizations in the name of beneficiary (with the beneficiary’s consent).

3. Gaining Trafficked People’s Trust

Beneficiaries are also informed about the fact that they can any time accept, reject/leave the assistance program; social assistants from “La Strada” Center do not insist on beneficiaries’ decisions, but ensure a secure environment, and help them decide/make the first step themselves. At the same time, offering help to beneficiaries, we take measures as to not make them dependent on the assisting personnel.

The Center’s assisting personnel should try to inspire trust in the fact that it is possible to help the beneficiaries (that they will have access to the rehabilitation services) when they feel they are ready to voluntarily benefit of assistance.

4. Offering enough time for «auto-identification» and for deciding/accepting the proposed/possible assistance.

Another problematic issue in the process of identification of trafficked people, noticed by the Center’s personnel, is the impossibility of self-identification or lack of capacity to analyze, understand, and accept the past experience; presumable victims or even those identified as trafficked people, who do not «self-identify», refuse the offered assistance. The experience shows that if the trafficked people talk about the sentiments and emotions they had, and recognize their own state/experience, they get actively involved in drafting and execution of the rehabilitation plan.
Cases of «non-auto-identification» are explained by numerous reasons: ignorance of rights, influence of prejudices, self-reproach, lose of trust in people, fragile age, mental retardation, too little time after returning to the country, and so on.

5. Referral to organization that is specialized in rendering assistance to the trafficked people, which will assess the needs of these people, offer/organize the necessary support and monitor the process of rehabilitation/reintegration.

Recommendations

Thereby, depending on each individual case, we consider opportune the following recommendations:
a. Hot Line should operate on 24-hour basis, offering non-conditional consultations and information in the field of people’s rights and assistance services, stimulating self-identification of trafficked people.
b. Collaboration with organizations, which are directly or indirectly offer assistance to trafficked people.
c. Stimulation of the process of identification and rehabilitation of trafficked people, collaboration on the basis of predetermined principles.
d. Identification and ulterior assistance to the trafficked people should be carried out by a trained personnel.
e. Methods of identification of trafficked people should be continuously improved, taking into account the latest trends in this field.
f. People, who are identified/presumed as survivors in trafficking, should be obligatorily informed about the possible assistance (distribution of specialized informative materials in languages they understand); it is necessary to explain them their rights, to offer the necessary contact information about organizations that provide services, and to act as intermediary, if necessary.
g. Beneficiaries should be informed that they can at any time accept, leave, or change the assistance program; correspondingly, they should be stimulated to take their own decisions, at which the assisting personnel will not insist, but it will support or help the trafficked person think over the efficiency of adopted decision.
h. Presumable trafficked people should be given enough time to decide/accept the offered/possible assistance.
i. Each case needs individual approach; finally, it is indicated that, depending on the case, groups of professionals, who are specialized in the corresponding case, should work with the beneficiaries. Cases of trafficked children should be examined by a special personnel.
j. Offering the necessary assistance, we should take all measures to avoid the beneficiary become dependent on the assisting personnel.
k. Assistance to the trafficked people should be rendered in compliance with the international standards of human rights and trafficking in people.