What is irregular migration?
Irregular migration occurs when people cross borders without proper authorization or the required documentation, such as passports or visas. This means they enter or stay in a country in ways that are not legal according to that country’s laws, effectively breaking the law. For example, someone might enter a country without a passport, visa, or necessary papers, or they may stay longer than their visa allows. People often do this seeking a better life or fleeing from war or poverty, but in doing so, they expose themselves to significant dangers such as human trafficking, exploitation, poor living conditions, and dangerous crossings.
What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is a serious crime involving the buying and selling of people for forced labor or exploitation. It often involves the use of force, threats, deception, or the abuse of someone’s vulnerable situation. Even if someone agrees to be exploited, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a crime. Victims of human trafficking have no freedom of movement. Many people believe that only women are victims and that it’s always related to sexual exploitation, but that’s not true. Men are often victims of forced labor, and traffickers use various methods to exploit people. The goal of human trafficking is profit or some other gain, and it can take many forms, including:
- Sexual exploitation and forced prostitution
- Forced labor
- Forced begging
- Forced involvement in criminal activities
- Organ trafficking (forced organ harvesting)
- Domestic servitude
- Forced marriages
Who are human traffickers?
Human traffickers can be anyone—men or women, even someone close like a family member, friend, or trusted person. They lure people with promises of work, education, or marriage, then force them into labor or other forms of exploitation.
What is labor exploitation?
Labor exploitation occurs when a person is forced to work against their will, without proper pay, in poor conditions, and without the freedom to leave or change jobs. Perpetrators use deception or coercion to trap and exploit people for their own gain.
How to recognize labor exploitation?
Fake job advertisements are often used to trick people into becoming victims of labor exploitation. Common signs include:
- Promises of high pay and good working conditions abroad that lead to exploitation.
- Living and working in poor conditions: Victims may live in abandoned buildings or warehouses and are rarely allowed to leave.
- Lack of protective equipment for safety at work.
- No access to wages: Employers control all the money, and workers have no direct access to their earnings.
- No employment contract: Victims usually work without any formal agreement, leaving them unprotected.
- Long working hours without overtime pay.
- Restricted freedom: Workers depend entirely on their employer for housing, food, and transport, leaving them no freedom of movement.
- Control and punishment: Employers use threats, insults, or even violence to keep workers in line.
- Poor healthcare and safety conditions: Workers may be exposed to unsafe equipment or conditions, including tasks unsuitable for children.
Domestic servitude – exploitation in the home
Domestic servitude involves people who work in households under exploitative conditions:
- They often live with their employer, with no right to privacy or normal living conditions.
- They are isolated from the outside world, with limited or no contact with others.
- They are often subject to violence or threats to keep them from leaving.
Useful tips
- Avoid job ads abroad that offer high pay but ask for no specific skills or qualifications, and especially those that provide only mobile numbers or email addresses as contact information.
- Always ensure you have a written employment contract before accepting a job.
- Never give your documents to your employer. Only the police have the right to request them.
- Check living and food arrangements provided by employers in advance.
- Know your rights: In all countries, you have the right to fair wages, rest during the workday, free time, health insurance, and safe working conditions.
- Before traveling abroad, ensure you have a valid visa and necessary permits.
- Leave copies of your passport with trusted people and establish a “safe word” to signal danger.
- Research the company offering the job and speak to people who have worked there before.
Where to seek help?
- Contact organizations providing free legal assistance to victims of labor exploitation and migrants.
- Speak to friends and family. Don’t be afraid to share your situation with those you trust.
- If you are working abroad, contact your country’s embassy for help.
For more information and useful contacts, visit the Migration Service Center, The national anti-trafficking network or reach out to organizations like ASTRA, ATINA, and La Strada International, a European platform against human trafficking. You can find more information about safe work abroad in the app ‘Work Safely”.