Council of Europe: Hungary falls short in identifying victims of human trafficking
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The Hungarian authorities fall short in their ability to identify potential victims of human trafficking, a Council of Europe (CoE) expert body has said.
Hungary should change rules to better pinpoint and help victims of human trafficking identified among asylum seekers and migrants in the country, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) said in a report published on Friday.
Previous concerns about Hungary’s treatment of victims of human trafficking “have been magnified by the repeated introduction of more restrictive legislation and measures regarding immigration and asylum in Hungary”, the report said, citing the findings of the body’s experts who visited the transit zones in Röszke and Tompa on the Serbian border between December 18 and 20, 2017.
“GRETA notes with concern that material conditions in the transit zones are not conducive to creating an atmosphere of trust which would make it possible for victims of trafficking to come forward,” the report says, citing the lack of private space to consult with lawyers or doctors and the lack of information provided to asylum seekers on their rights.
Children between 14 and 17 years of age “may be particularly vulnerable because they are treated as adults, despite their minority,”
the report says, referring to the fact that unaccompanied children of that age are housed in the transit zones with the adults, and raising concerns about the communication with “ad hoc guardians” appointed for them.
GRETA works to establish whether signatories comply with the CoE’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. It conducted an assessment of the Hungarian situation in 2015.