AMIF┋Support to victims of trafficking in human beings

Providing better access to and realising the rights of the victims of trafficking in human beings is a priority under the 2017 Communication on stepping up EU action to address trafficking in human beings.

Data from the EU Member States indicates that around 35 % of victims registered in the EU are non-EU nationals from, amongst others, Nigeria, China, Albania, Vietnam and Morocco. Traffickers are taking advantage of irregular migration routes, and increases have been reported in particular in the number of women and girls trafficked to the EU for the purpose of sexual exploitation from, amongst others: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

In order to support the integration of third country nationals who are victims of trafficking in human beings, it is important to strengthen relevant stakeholders in implementing the EU Anti-trafficking Directive, with respect to provisions on assistance and support for victims (Art. 11, 13 and 14 of the Directive). At the same time, this contributes to the implementation the 2017 Communication, namely by supporting anti-trafficking objectives and priorities for third country national victims of trafficking through transnational projects. Such projects must ensure that they take into consideration the gender specific nature of this phenomenon as well as the high-risk groups and sectors it affects.

Objectives

Concretely, the objectives of this priority are to:

• Improving the integration of third country national victims of trafficking in the host society, taking into account the individual needs of the victims and in view of finding durable solutions and preventing re-trafficking
• Facilitating the safe and sustainable, voluntary return of third country national victims of trafficking, with a view to finding durable solutions and preventing their re-trafficking
• Ensure durable solutions for third country national child victims of trafficking and prevent re-trafficking

Actions

• Measures aiming at improving the early and proactive identification of third country national victims of trafficking in human beings, including enabling them to understand and have access to their rights
• Measures aiming at assisting and supporting third country national victims of trafficking and preventing the risk of re-trafficking, catering for the individual needs of the victims
• Assistance and support measures taking into account the gender, age and consequences of the form of exploitation victims have been subjected to (amongst others: pregnancy, psychological trauma, physical injuries), including with respect to health and psychological support, aiming at enabling and facilitating the integration of victims in society
• Measures directed for the benefit of third country national victims of trafficking, including, amongst others: education, language training, vocational training, apprenticeship programmes; job placement services, skills enhancement, workplace training and mentoring, and entrepreneurship training
• Setting up and improvement of transnational cooperation among relevant actors for assisting and supporting third country national victims, aiming at their integration, including in the context of safe and assisted voluntary return when relevant, and implement durable solutions for child victims
• Sharing and exchanging experiences, information, knowledge and best practices on integration of third country national victims of trafficking in human beings, for their voluntary and safe return, and for durable solutions for child victims, aiming at achieving concrete impact and benefits on the lives of the victims, in cooperation with relevant authorities and civil society and other actors and disseminate the results

Outcomes

The projects financed under this priority should achieve the following outcomes:

• Improve the situation, integration, of third country national victims of trafficking in human beings in cities/regions/rural areas involved in the projects and/or demonstrate and evaluate how the national/transnational actions contributed in this regard
• Improve transnational cooperation between local and regional authorities and civil society for the integration, as well as voluntary and safe return of third-country national victims of trafficking and durable solutions for child victims;
• Develop practical approaches, tools and guidelines, building on results of past projects when relevant and appropriate.

Project proposals must clearly focus on third country nationals who are victims of trafficking in human beings, and demonstrate how a comprehensive, victim-centred approach will be adopted, concretely presenting the foreseen gender-specific and child-sensitive elements of the implementation at all stages. Project proposals must demonstrate their links with the policy priorities set forth in the 2017 Communication, and take into account the outcomes of the relevant published Studies under the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of trafficking in human beings 2012-2016. In particular project proposals should take into account: Study on Comprehensive Policy Review of anti-trafficking projects funded by the European Commission; Study on High risk groups for trafficking in human beings and Study on gender dimension of trafficking in human beings as well as the 2016 Commission Progress report on trafficking in human beings (Report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings ('First Progress report') and Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the First Progress report. This includes, but is not limited to, focusing on trafficking for sexual exploitation and especially women and children who are disproportionately affected.

Proposals should be justified taking into account the Communication Reporting on the follow-up to the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of trafficking in human beings and identifying further concrete actions and other documents available on the EU Anti-trafficking website. Creating appropriate links with victims’ countries of origin is not excluded.

Applicants are also invited to take note of, to avoid duplication with, and to build on previous projects:

• Comprehensive policy review of EU funded anti-trafficking projects
• Past and on-going projects’ descriptions can be found on the EU anti-trafficking website.

In this context, applicants must explain how proposals take note of, and build on, results of existing projects and, where relevant, ensure synergies and complementarities with other programmes implemented in countries of origin and transit in a view to avoiding duplication.