OSCE official praises Finland’s reforms to counter human trafficking and encourages further efforts on victim identification and prosecution

VIENNA, 3 September 2020 – The OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey, wrapped up a series of two-day online consultations with high-level officials of Finland today. He concluded that the Finnish Government is demonstrating strong political initiative to combat trafficking but needs to increase its efforts to counter impunity and identify victims, particularly children and those exploited online.

The Special Representative held meetings with a number of Finnish officials, including the Ministers of Justice, Interior and Foreign Affairs, as well as with the Prosecutor General, the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman and National Rapporteur on Trafficking and the Deputy National Police Commissioner. The meetings focused on the government’s ongoing efforts to prevent and tackle trafficking in human beings and implement solutions to some new and persistent challenges.

Thanking Special Representative Valiant Richey for the meeting, Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson said: “It was extremely valuable to hear the OSCE’s views on preventing human trafficking in various countries and to discuss how to best work together against it. The Finnish government is very dedicated to working against human trafficking.”

“High-level political engagement is the best driver for change, and recent efforts in Finland demonstrate strong commitment to achieving results”, said Special Representative Richey. He noted that the recent reform that enables agencies to join forces with the police to identify victims of trafficking is “a positive step towards more expansive, victim-centred anti-trafficking policies”. He also commended collaboration between police and labor inspectors and the planned creation of a specialized unit on investigating human trafficking cases.

However, Richey said that Finland still faces significant challenges when it comes to countering human trafficking. “The number of prosecutions remain quite low in Finland, especially in comparison to the increasing number of identified victims,” Special Representative Richey said; adding that this can create a perception of impunity for traffickers and deny victims the justice they deserve.

The meetings also covered trends in the OSCE region and in Finland, such as the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities susceptible to trafficking, the rise of online exploitation, and the need for a more comprehensive criminal justice response, especially to trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

“We should focus on what victims need, not what we need from victims,” said Richey, calling for robust victim assistance coupled with investigation strategies focused on gathering corroborating evidence without relying exclusively on victim testimony. He noted that promising prosecution approaches in the OSCE region emphasized the use of technology, financial investigations and special investigative techniques to support successful cases and seize traffickers’ assets.

The meetings laid the foundation for an in-person visit to Finland later this year to support the work of a newly established Working Group under the leadership of the National Co-ordinator in developing a national action plan and other anti-trafficking policies.

The OSCE Special Representative regularly conducts official visits to support OSCE participating States in their efforts to counter human trafficking, as well as to share knowledge and collect best practices to fight this heinous crime. While current travel restrictions make on-sight visits more challenging, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative continues to engage and provide tailored support to participating States through online formats.