Trafficking of adult men in the Europe and Eurasia region

There is an increasing recognition throughout the world that it is not only women and children who fall victim to traffickers, but also trafficked men are repeatedly being exploited and abused. This paper sheds light on the nature and extent of the trafficking of men in the Europe and Eurasia region, seeking to contribute to developing strong programmes that address the needs of such men and improve their lives.

The report shows that there is no clear demographic profile of trafficked men. However, the following findings can be demonstrated:

• trafficking of adult men is mainly for the purpose of labour, which is primarily in construction and agriculture
• trafficked men are mainly recruited through personal contacts and newspaper advertisements
• the scope of the problem could be far larger than current data indicate, considering that victims are never identified
• a worrying perception around the region is that adult male victims of labour trafficking are either not in need of assistance or do not want it
• abuses of trafficked men include long working hours, low or no pay, denial of medical care, poor living conditions, limited and poor quality food, sexual abuse and detention
  

Key recommendations are:

• support training and development of operational procedures for agencies involved in anti-trafficking efforts
• develop and train specialised police units to identify and assist male victims of trafficking
• expand tailored services to trafficking men needs beyond the shelter-based model
• donors should encourage authorities to investigate and prosecute labour trafficking cases
• donors could fund activities to reform legislation so that it addresses the types of exploitation faced by irregular migrants
• organising migrant workers in countries of destination would increase migrants’ understanding of their rights