Actions against human trafficking in Finland
Trafficking in human beings in Finnish legislation
The Finnish legislation considers the following acts as trafficking in human beings:
sexual abuse in a form which resembles a pandering offence;
forced labour and other types of forcing into demeaning circumstances;
trade in bodily organs for financial gain.
The essential elements of the statutory definition of the offence include the victim of the offence being inducted into for example prostitution through deception or by abusing his/her dependent status or insecure state. In this way, the victims are taken control of, and they are not allowed to end the activity at their own free will.
Human trafficking in Finland
In Finland, trafficking in human beings is mostly encountered in the form of violence and coercion used in pandering. Pandering has strong links to the neighbouring countries. Advertising on the internet shows an increasing number of persons of Eastern European origin in the Finnish prostitution market.
No instances of human trafficking based on forced labour have been detected in Finland so far.
In the Penal Code of Finland, usury-type of discrimination at work is an offence which closely resembles forced labour in its constituent elements. In these cases, an employer has control over another person, who usually is a foreign national. This control is seen in the form of irregularities in salary payments and the amount of work executed. The employer seeks to control not only the work of the employees, but also their free time, through various travel, accommodation and debt arrangements.
It has been observed that money is often paid in exchange for the possibility to work in Finland. Individuals have paid thousands of euros in their home country to the employer or his/her representative for a work opportunity in Finland. Debt arrangements constitute a means of control over the employees even before their arrival in Finland.
Facilitation of illegal entry, an offence with close connections to human trafficking, usually involves victims of non-EU origin, as well as organised criminal groups active in several countries.
No signs of trade in bodily organs have been detected in Finland.
Judgments in human trafficking cases
So far, the convictions for human trafficking in Finland have been related to sexual abuse in pandering. In 2007, the Helsinki Court of Appeal sentenced the Estonian primary offender to five and a half years of imprisonment for human trafficking.
A similar case was recently heard before the Helsinki District Court, but the court considered it to be a case of pandering, not human trafficking. The judgment is not yet final. This case included an extensive pre-trial investigation by the police, with over a hundred possible purchasers of sexual services interviewed.
In the summer of 2008, a case was revealed in Kotka in which a young Finnish female was forced through violence to sell sexual services. The Kotka District Court sentenced the Finnish primary offender to five and a half years of imprisonment for aggravated trafficking in human beings, and four other persons were sentenced to more than two years of imprisonment for the same offence.
Noteworthy in this case was the use of direct violence, and also the fact that the offenders and the victim were all Finnish citizens.
Assistance programme for victims of human trafficking
All victims in the mentioned cases were offered protection and support through the Assistance programme for victims of human trafficking. The Assistance programme was launched in 2006.
The threshold is low for being accepted into the programme, and anyone, not just the authorities, can report a possible victim. So far, 21 persons have participated in the Assistance programme (11 female, 10 male). At present, 12 persons are receiving help through the programme. The main forms of support are providing accommodation, therapy and health care services, legal assistance, interpreter services and arranging a safe return home.
Reporting on human trafficking
The National rapporteur on trafficking in human beings will start activities in the beginning of 2009. The post is located in the office of the Ombudsman for Minorities. The rapporteur's work comprises examining and reporting on human trafficking and related phenomenon, monitoring application of international commitments and national legislation, as well as establishing contacts with national and international authorities and organisations in the field of human trafficking. One of the main tasks of the rapporteur is to draft action proposals and prepare initiatives and projects.
Video raises awareness on human trafficking and assistance to victims
The National Plan of Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, prepared by the Government, aims at preventing trafficking, identifying and helping victims, bringing traffickers to justice, as well as dissemination of information and increasing awareness. The video contributes to spreading information on human trafficking and the assistance available to victims. The Joutseno reception centre telephone number 071 876 3170 is a national helpline for requests for information and reports on victims of human trafficking.
The video is a cooperation between the National Bureau of Investigation, the Assistance programme for victims of human trafficking and the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.