P120. The situation of human trafficking in the Basque Country region

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

The communication to be presented at the congress is based on empirical research carried out in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country region (northern Spain and gateway for victims of trafficking to Spain from France), with the aim of presenting the situation of human trafficking in this small Spanish region. In this investigation carried out by three members of the Basque Institute of Criminology, the main associations that care for and have contact with victims of human trafficking and the Ertzaintza (autonomous police of the Basque Country region that has full jurisdiction) have been interviewed. The main conclusions obtained have been the followings:

1) The Ertzaintza must expand its action protocol and specify the assumptions included in each type of exploitation of human trafficking, to define the detection indicators in each case.

2) Basque citizens must be fully aware of the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings without limiting awareness campaigns to the forced prostitution modality of the crime.

3) A reference assistance and protection resource are needed in Gipuzkoa for when victims of trafficking are detected in this historical territory, without the need for them to move to Bizkaia or Bilbao.

4) In order to disassociate trafficking in human beings from forced prostitution, an association would be necessary that offers comprehensive assistance and protection to all victims of the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings in the CAV, disassociating the phenomenon from assistance to women who practice prostitution.

5) The training of professionals, both Ertzaintza agents and of the entities that may have direct contact with the victims (as in family intervention) is essential for their detection and identification.

Author

• Leire Berasaluze Gerrikagoitia, University of the Basque Country