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International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates have put the numbers in forced labour in EU member states at 880,000. Of these, 30% are thought to be subject to forced sexual exploitation.
Most of the forced sexual exploitation victims originate from EU countries, central and south-eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia.
The ILO has been working with EU member governments to uncover sectors vulnerable to human trafficking and to reinforce the fight against forced labour by sending in labour inspectors.
Beate Andrees, head of the ILO’s Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, said: “Our analysis of cases clearly shows that agriculture, domestic work, manufacturing and construction are the main sectors where forced labour was found in the EU. Victims are lured with false job offers only to find out that conditions of work are worse than they anticipated.”
She believed attention should turn to better identification and prosecution of forced labour and related offences, such as human trafficking.
She said: “The successful prosecution of individuals who bring such misery to so many remains inadequate. This needs to change.
“We must ensure that the number of victims does not rise during the current economic crisis where people are increasingly vulnerable to these abusive practices.”
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