Nearly 60% of people who called FIZ's counselling centre for migrant women were sex workers
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
More than 300 victims of human trafficking in Switzerland received support last year from the “Advocacy and Support for Migrant Women and Victims of Trafficking” (FIZ) service.
This is a “sad record”, FIZ said in its annual reportExternal link on Monday. There had been 255 cases in 2019.
The majority of trafficking victims are women, said the Zurich-based organisation, which also helps men and transgender people. It said its victim protection programme had helped more than 300 people from 57 countries – mostly Nigeria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Congo and Serbia – escape exploitation and violence.
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Human trafficking remains a problem for Switzerland
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Taken together with the 113 ongoing consultations from previous years, FIZ says the number of cases of women being trafficked into the country (many for prostitution) remains high. In 2017, FIZ provided support for 228 women. To combat the problem, FIZExternal link has joined forces with Church groups to provide better care for the victims. The Zurich-based entity will receive funding…
The Covid-19 pandemic had created social isolation and led to the cancellation of language courses and employment opportunities, it explained. The need for psychosocial support and counselling had therefore increased.
Due to the pandemic, FIZ increased the number of beds in the shelters and organised additional accommodation to prevent infections.
Counselling centre
FIZ’s other service, a counselling centre for migrant women, received 705 people in 2020, compared with 377 the previous year.
Nearly 60% of them were sex workers, mainly from Latin America and Eastern Europe. The pandemic left most of them without income overnight. They were unable to pay their health insurance contributions or rent or buy food.
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255 cases of human trafficking in Switzerland in 2019
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Last year marked a record high number of cases of human trafficking in Switzerland, a support group for female migrants reported on Monday.
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Swiss authorities have launched an awareness campaign to help identify victims of trafficking who are being forced to work in the country.
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