Number of human trafficking victims in Switzerland continues to grow

FIZ argues that when escape routes are safe and legal paths to migration exist, people are less likely to fall victim to human trafficking. © Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

In all 822 people requested assistance in 2022 from FIZ, a Zurich-based advocacy and support group for migrant women and trafficking victims. Of these, 375 were victims of human trafficking.

The numbers represent an increase over previous years, the group said in its annual reportExternal link, released on Monday. It blamed in part “the European migration regime and Swiss policy on foreigners” for the trend. In 2021, the group registered 289 people as having been trafficked.

The war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, shows that when escape routes are safe and legal paths to migration exist, people are less likely to fall victim to human trafficking, FIZ said. Around seven million people, mainly women and children, have been displaced within Ukraine or have fled to other European countries, including Switzerland.

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Two-thirds of the people FIZ supported last year had been exploited in Switzerland. Among the migrants who sought help, one-third were from Latin America and the Caribbean and a quarter from Europe. Nearly 35% were sex workers, while close to a quarter were victims of domestic violence or exploitation.

FIZ said it had received a greater number of requests from male victims and from victims of labour exploitation.

The group argued that the Schengen zone “fortress” in Europe makes legal migration impossible for people from third countries and forces them into a situation of dependency. The Dublin agreement, whereby migrants can apply for asylum only in the first country where they register, is leading to victims being sent back into the hands of their abusers, FIZ added.

FIZ also claimed the Swiss law on foreigners does not sufficiently protect victims of domestic violence, as residence in the country is often tied to staying with a spouse, even in cases of domestic abuse.