The Impact of the Internet

on Trafficking in Persons
The Internet as well as other forms of technologies, have become
new means of recruitment of victims for many forms of crime,
because they are:
anonymous;
rapid;
easy to use;
costless;
criminals need not be at the scene of the crime;
it can reach simultaneously many victims; and
It can have results in different places at the same time.
Use of new technologies by traffickers

Recruitment of victims;
Exploitation of victims;
Advertisement of victims' services;
Attract clients and
Avoid police interception of their communications
Components of trafficking in persons
Three components in trafficking in persons:
1.Use of specific means,
2. Specific action and
3. the purpose of exploitation
The main questions that need to be asked :
(1)
1. What are the most common ways in which the Internet is used in
the trafficking in persons process?

2. What use is made of the Internet, not only for recruitment purposes,
but also to attract clients, advertising and communication purposes, as
well as to report and investigate such crimes ?
Important to investigate Internet-related trafficking in relation to:
a) the use of Internet by traffickers to recruit the victims, as well as the
profile of traffickers, sites/industries, clients and victims themselves;
b) the use of the Internet to detect, report and disrupt the recruitment
and exploitation of victims; and

(2)
c) the use of Internet to support intelligence-led investigations on
trafficking in persons.

3. Which actions need to be taken by relevant sectors (be it the private
sector, government agencies, non-governmental organizations) in order
to bring more attention to the target groups (victims and possibly
clients)?

4. How can potential victims be protected against all forms
of trafficking when the Internet is used? In particular:
a) How can the Internet be used to raise awareness and
prevent trafficking in persons?
b) What measures should be taken to ensure that the
Internet is not used by traffickers (proactively:
referring not only to monitoring and filtering

mechanisms but also to financial measures that
would prevent trafficking transactions both of traffickers and
(3)
of potential clients)?

c) Could a global reporting mechanism for trafficking activities on
the Internet be created?

Forms of trafficking in human beings that have
been documented to date
(1)
a) Sexual exploitation (exploitation of the prostitution of others)
and its contiguous activities (activities related to exploitation even if
they are not considered as trafficking per se, e.g. sexual tourism; if
related to exploitation of prostitution);
b) Child pornography ;
c) Forced or bonded labour (for both adults and children);
d) Domestic slavery/servitude;
e) Mail order brides;
f) Forced marriage;
g) Trafficking for the purpose of removal of organs, tissues and
cells (including any other elements of the human body e.g. blood,
plasma, ova);
h) Trafficking in babies or children for the purpose of illegal
adoptions;
(2)
i) Trafficking in surrogate mothers
(either by the form of trafficking in already pregnant
women or of women who are impregnated with the
purpose to use the babies for illegal adoptions or
trafficking in organs);
j) Trafficking for begging (especially of invalid persons,
mainly children);
k) Trafficking in (mainly) children, for the
commission of crimes (such as stealing);
l) Trafficking in children for their involvement in
armed conflicts or terrorist activities.
Forms of trafficking related to the use of the
Internet
Sexual exploitation;

Labour exploitation;
Domestic servitude;
Mail order brides (mainly for advertising);
Trafficking for illegal adoptions (including
babies and surrogate mothers); and

Trafficking for the purpose of the removal
of organs
Factors that increase the use of technology by
criminals
More generalised access to the Internet;
Increased number of Internet users each year;
Increased affordability of technology and services;
Anonymity of users;
Speed it is fast (leaving only digital traces);
Ease of use;
Criminals ability to work from home and operate in many countries
reaching an indefinite number of victims;
Difficulty in tracing (since criminals can operate in many countries
and digital traces are difficult to track);
Inability of victims to denounce the perpetrators because their
identity might be unknown to them;
The high profitability of crime in relation to the investment required;
Lack of appropriate State policies and legislation and lack of
uniform international legislation that creates problems not only in
prosecution but in jurisdiction in general.
Links between Internet and recruitment of
victims for trafficking and advertisement of their
services :
Victims are deceived by fake advertisements (baby sitting;
modelling, etc.) or through chat-rooms and social networks and
then may be forced to produce pornographic material;
Victims recruited in traditional ways may be forced to contact
clients on-line contributing to their own further victimisation;
Trafficked victims may be traded or their services advertised to
clients via the Internet.
Attempted typology of traffickers
using Internet to recruit victims
Distinction of traffickers according to:

The method of recruiting their victims;
Whether they choose to transfer their victims abroad
or not for exploitation;
How they use the Internet and their involvement in the
creation of sites;
Their personal involvement in the exploitation of the
victims (e.g. exploitation for personal use and not
necessarily for economic profit);
Their level of association with transnational/national
organized criminal networks.
Key role players in the
trafficking process:
Traffickers
Victims
Clients
Service providers and
Other stakeholders that facilitate the trafficking process
through the Internet (such as financial institutions that allow
payment by credit cards and also the press and/or the media
that might host deceptive advertisements)

Internet can be used as means for the
commission of any form of trafficking in persons
but also as means to:
a) report the crime;
b) detect criminals;
c) assist intelligence led investigations;
d) prosecute;
e) disrupt criminal activities; and
f) facilitate international cooperation
Use of the Internet in the trafficking
process
Objectives in fighting human trafficking
Not only to gather evidence and bring suspects to justice,
but also:
to end the exploitation;
to protect and support victims and witnesses;
to confiscate the financial profits of the crime and
to prevent re-occurrence.
Main difficulties in prosecuting Internet related
cases of trafficking
1. Traffickers may be located anywhere in the world
2. Difficulty in the timely location of perpetrators and
preservation of digital evidence
3. No international binding legislation for Internet or Internet
related crimes and the retention of data by ISPs

Reporting of Internet related cases of trafficking:
Could assist all levels of law enforcement by providing one
streamlined reporting tool that would enhance information
sharing and collaborative efforts to combat trafficking in
persons.
Detection of crimes:
Two elements are of importance to the
investigation of such cases:
a)The conservation of data by the Internet Service
Providers (ISPs); and
b) The good detection of files.
Questions that can be answered by the digital
evidence:
a) Where were the perpetrators and the victims
during the recruitment (same or different country)?
b) When and with whom have the perpetrators
have communicated?
c) Did the perpetrators have the intention of
committing the crime?
Disruption of trafficking activities
An international financial coalition is crucial to stop the on-line
transactions related to human trafficking
The creation of a global database could intend
to:
(1)
1. Facilitate rapid identification of, and contact between:
a) institutions and organisations active in the anti-trafficking
sector in different countries (NGOs, local authorities,
government bodies, universities, etc.); and
b) working on different forms of trafficking (sexual exploitation,
forced labour, organ trafficking, illegal international adoptions,
mail-order brides, etc.);




(2)
2. It could Address different target groups (children, men,
women, trans-gender people, communities, social and health
workers, educators, teachers, law enforcement officers, judicial
personnel, etc.);

3. Support different types of action (detection of cases;
reporting; disruption of trafficking activities and assistance
directly aimed at trafficked persons);


(3)
4.Facilitate the exchange of up-to-date information on
organisations, projects, activities and services concerned with
trafficking; and of professionals in this field who need to
contact their counterparts in other countries; and

5. Encourage networking and co-operation between
organisations working on trafficking.
Identified recommended actions
a) Assessing the use of new information and communication
technologies by traffickers for the recruitment of victims and
advertisement of their services via the Internet;

b) Developing technologies to detect, report and disrupt the
recruitment and exploitation of victims via the Internet;
including tracking and blocking credit card payments for
Internet-related human trafficking transactions;

c) Supporting intelligence-led investigations in the use of new
technologies and trafficking in persons.
Actions for the Government:
(1)
a) Harmonisation of Internet legislation aiming at the retention
of data by Internet Service Providers, including the possibility
of withdrawal of any prohibition related to data protection for
any action related to human trafficking investigations, while
ensuring the protection of bona fide users;

b) Compliance of national provisions on trafficking in persons
with the Trafficking in Persons Protocol;
(2)
c) Standard setting (preferably harmonised at the
international level) for various types of web sites and services
offered through the Internet, e.g. employment or marriage
agency sites;

d) Institutionalise capacity development measures to increase
the capacity of law enforcement authorities to investigate
Internet-related trafficking cases;

e) Ensure regular monitoring and investigation through
innovative and specialised investigative methods and
techniques by law enforcement authorities, combined with
preventive action to alert potential victims and clients;
(3)
f) Conduct regular analysis of reported cases to help create profiling
systems for sites and tools used to recruit victims via the Internet,
by:

Gathering all information on Internet-related cases of human
trafficking using existing systems (such as Interpol, Europol,
Eurojust) to which only authorised persons would have access;
Gathering tactical intelligence about the methods of recruitment;
Refining methods for analysing patterns and sharing information
on trafficking in persons cases carried out through the use of the
Internet;
Developing specific indicators to detect different forms of
trafficking in persons through the Internet.

Actions for Research institutions:
Research on the impact of new technologies on human
trafficking on an national and international level, to assess to
what extent the Internet has contributed to the recruitment of
victims of trafficking and to the continuation of their
victimisation (e.g. use of sites by potential clients).
Actions for International organisations:
(1)
a) Support capacity development measures to increase the capacity
of law enforcement authorities to investigate Internet-related
trafficking cases;

b) Support international measures to improve the reporting,
detection and disruption of human trafficking activities using
information and communication technologies;

c) Support the analysis of reported cases to help create profiling
systems for sites and tools used to recruit victims via the Internet.
This is to assist in the development of prevention initiatives and to
recognize characteristics of offenders and potential victims (taking
into account the risks in creating stereotypes);


(2)
d) Support the expansion of clearing house mechanisms for
streamlined on-line reporting on trafficking in persons via the
Internet by:
- Enhancing cooperation among specialized units dealing with
recruitment of victims of trafficking via the Internet;
- Building upon mechanisms such as the CyberTipline and
other on-line hotlines to include reporting on trafficking in
persons.
Actions for the Private sector:
a) Support the development of tools to prevent and detect
trafficking in persons via the Internet

b) Cooperate with Governments to ensure that the adoption of
policies to help prevent and combat trafficking in persons via the
Internet.

c) Facilitate investigation and prosecution efforts by helping restore
data to and taking action to block online advertisements proven to
be related to exploitative practices (for Internet Service Providers).

c) Promote awareness on the safe use of the Internet for both
potential victims and clients.

Actions for the Financial (Private/public)
sector:

a) Improve international cooperation among financial institutions
together with Internet Service Providers to help track and block
credit card payments for Internet-related human trafficking
transactions.

b) Share information on the use and typologies of financial
transactions for human trafficking activities.
Actions for the Civil society
a) Provide information and other services to victims, whilst
building on the knowledge and information gathered by law
enforcement, intelligence units and trafficking victims
themselves (e.g. Counselling of Internet trafficking victims in
order to avoid re-victimisation); and
b) Promote awareness on the safe use of the Internet for both
potential victims and clients.-
Thank you!