Cyprus Police participated in a global operation against human trafficking named “GLOBAL CHAIN” during which 1,024 arrests were made in five continents.
A police announcement says that within the framework of the operation, the Office for Combating Human Trafficking carried out a total of 17 operations across the islands, in various premises (ie pubs, apartments).
During the raids, 57 women were identified. The Police clarified in the press release that following an individual assessment, no indications were found that they were victims of human trafficking. One of them was found to be residing illegally in the Republic of Cyprus.
Figures from the global operation
The global operation from 8 to 12 June was carried out with the aim of combating trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced criminal activity and begging.
Europol supported the operation, in which the competent authorities of 59 countries participated. As part of the operation, 2,070 potential victims were identified and 1,024 suspects were arrested, of whom 334 are alleged to be involved in trafficking cases.
As part of the ongoing investigations, a further 201 suspects were identified for offences related to human trafficking.
The operation focused on combating trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced criminal activity and begging, with particular emphasis on the protection of minor victims.
The operation was implemented within the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), with Austria coordinating the operational action and Romania acting as co-leader.
During the operation, 1,024 arrests were made, of which 334 for human trafficking offences and 690 for other criminal offences.
Moreover 2,070 victims and potential victims were identified (1,908 adults and 162 minors), 201 additional suspects were identified and 465 new criminal investigations were initiated. At the same time, 80 cases of document forgery were identified.
According to the results of the investigations so far, the vast majority of the victims are adult women. Specifically, 64.2% were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 20.9% for forced criminal activity, 11.3% for forced labor, 1.5% for begging and 2.1% for other forms of exploitation.
Of particular concern is the fact that 86.4% of child victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation.
In addition, 6.2% were trafficked for forced labor, 3% for begging, approximately 0.6% for forced criminal activity, while 3.8% were trafficked for other forms of exploitation. In many cases, protecting victims becomes particularly difficult, as their exploitation is carried out even by members of their own family.
Potential victims mainly from Latin American countries
The operation involved more than 40,000 law enforcement officers from 59 countries, including police, border guards, labor inspectors, tax and customs officials.
Potential victims were identified from 45 different countries, with the majority coming from Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Nepal and Moldova. Many of the victims had been transported across borders, even between different continents, demonstrating the international nature of criminal human trafficking networks.
During the operation, checks were carried out on 565,470 persons, 360,317 travel and other identification documents, 140,737 vehicles, 20,342 premises and other locations, 6,133 flights and water vehicles.