Cynthia Busuttil
Malta 'exemplary' in fight against human trafficking
The story of a 21-year-old Swedish woman who claimed to have been held against her will and forced into prostitution in Malta made headlines in the Swedish media last year.
Eighteen female victims of human trafficking were identified in Malta between 2004 and 2007, a United Nations report shows.
Eight of the women, who were identified in 2006 and 2007, were trafficked for sexual exploitation, according to the report launched earlier this month.
Based on data from 155 countries, the report says that sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking, amounting to a staggering 79 per cent of victims worldwide, with victims being predominantly women and girls.
Human trafficking is the movement of people by force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them as opposed to the smuggling of immigrants who consent to go to another country.
Police inspector Raymond Aquilina said the problem in Malta was not as alarming as in other countries. In fact, the report itself shows that more than 40,000 victims were identified in 71 countries between 2004 and 2006 - as opposed to 13 in Malta.
"Every year, around the world, hundreds of thousands of people are bought and sold either for slavery or for sex exploitation," he said during a workshop for those working in the field organised by the International Organisation for Migration.
But even though rare, the stories which have emerged are still nightmarish. Just last July, a 21-year-old Swedish woman claimed to have escaped from a local brothel after being forced into prostitution.
According to prosecuting officers, her claims were corroborated by witnesses and the woman had requested to testify through video conferencing because she was terrified of appearing in the presence of the pimps.
Just two years earlier, a former policeman was arraigned and charged with receiving payment to traffic a person for prostitution.
"Women and children are the main victims," said Peter Schatzer, the director of the International Organisation for Migration Mediterranean, adding that Malta has taken "exemplary steps" to avoid this phenomenon from spreading.
He told The Times that often victims are scared to report the traffickers, especially when they feel this would pose a threat to their families back in their homeland.
"Many of these women are too afraid to talk, often because traffickers are powerful and have a lot of money," he said.
Mr Schatzer explained that most victims are promised a better life in another country and although some suspect that they would have to work in the sex industry they do imagine having to forfeit their earnings.
Speaking during the seminar, Mr Schatzer said this phenomenon has become a multi-million dollar industry.
Inspector Aquilina said all cases of human trafficking in Malta were related to sexual exploitation, with the authorities never receiving reports of child trafficking, trafficking for forced labour or removal of organs.
Social Policy Minister John Dalli said human trafficking had reached epidemic proportions over the past decade and has a global market of around $42.5 billion, affecting millions of children, women and men around the world.
"Counter-trafficking professionals are required to actively look out for it and work pro-actively in multi-entity networking to be more successful in identifying it. A collective effort needs to be made to reduce the demand for this crime and in doing so prevent potential victims falling prey to it and protect current victims," he said.
Inspector Aquilina urged people to keep their eyes open. "Many times these crimes take place underground. But anyone coming across a suspicious situation can inform the police," he said, adding that tip-offs can be confidential.
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Raymond Sammut
Feb 25th 2009, 19:06
@ Robert Callus
Police inspector Raymond Aquilina is clearly, at least in this report, not acknowledging that people including children are being trafficked willingly from fishing ports in Libya to Malta. In the process, over the past several years many including children are known to have drowned.
These are facts known internationally. They have been, for example, reported widely in the British and Italian media. I find it most ironical that Police inspector Raymond Aquilina would expect individuals in the community "to keep their eyes open" when the facts are glaringly obvious.
For example, the most recent illegal boat that appeared at Birżebbuġa had two minors on board (The Times Thursday, 19th February 2009). Does Police inspector Raymond Aquilina need to be told by members of the public about these two minors being trafficked to Malta on an illegal unregistered boat?
I would like to as ask Police inspector Raymond Aquilina whether the person navigating this illegal boat has been arrested and charged for having these minors on board. This illegal boat operator is clearly in breach of International Maritime law and of endangering the lives of two minors.
Robert Callus
Feb 24th 2009, 21:42
@Raymond Sammut
What you are saying is definitely possible, probable actually. However your allegations are too serious just to be typed on the comment section of a newspaper. Rather than attack Inspector Aquilina, I would try to give what I know to the police confidentially. If you find that hard (and I don't blame you), you can do it anonymously.
Denis Catania
Feb 24th 2009, 17:00
Per Capita 13 in Malta = to more than 13,000 in Italy. if I'm not mistaken.
Raymond Sammut is right children are dying due to the work of human trafficking from Libya. Stop those human traffickers too.
Eric Soames
Feb 24th 2009, 16:14
The Inspector is trying to gloss over the fact that nothing has been done to staunch the flow of human traffic coming up from the South. This effort to hold the government blameless for its inability to step up, acknowledge and control this influx will be seen for what it is. A shrugging off of responsibility.
Raymond Sammut
Feb 24th 2009, 15:26
@ Dr Lawrence Gonzi and Dr Edward Fenech Adami
Contrary to what Police inspector Raymond Aquilina is claiming in this report, children have been and are still being trafficked between Libya and Malta by crime syndicates. These trafficked children, especially when they drown, are squarely on your conscience.
Children are known to have drowned between Malta and Libya as a result of this trafficking, and you have failed to take decisive action against those who navigate these illegal boats to Malta. Police inspector Raymond Aquilina will not save you with what he is saying.
Raymond Sammut
Feb 24th 2009, 15:14
@ Police inspector Raymond Aquilina
In this report in The Times, your name is mentioned three times, and this is what the journalist has stated:
Quote:
"Human trafficking is the movement of people by force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them as opposed to the smuggling of immigrants who consent to go to another country.":Unquote
Not true. Both cases are unequivocally "human trafficking".
In the former, the individual is deceived and finds himself/herself possessed and threatened until they can (hopefully) escape their abductors and return to their home country, usually with the assistance of the authorities.
In the latter case, the immigrants are "consent[ing]", or more precisely, collaborating with the human traffickers, "to go to another country", or more precisely, to enter a country illegally.
You [Inspector Aquilina] said: "all cases of human trafficking in Malta were related to sexual exploitation, with the authorities never receiving reports of child trafficking..."
You are in error. You, Inspector Aquilina, do not need to wait for the authorities to receive reports of child trafficking. It is on record that children are constantly being trafficked to Malta on unregistered boats between Libya and Malta.