2023-07-24 16:56:00
After Bruges and then Brussels, it was in Liège that the 2023 “Blue Heart” campaign against human trafficking was launched on Monday, in collaboration with the three specialized victim support centers (PAG-ASA, Payoke and Sürya) and as a prelude to the World Day against Human Trafficking on July 30. Entitled “Every victim of human trafficking matters, leave no one behind”, this year’s campaign aims to raise awareness of the worrying developments identified in the United Nations’ 2022 World Report on Trafficking in Persons. In addition to the website made available last year, there is a telephone line (078/055.800) for victims of trafficking in human beings.
“It is estimated that more than 11,000 people are victims of human trafficking in our country. Many victims do not realize that they are being exploited because they do not know their rights, nor the assistance available. Also, after the website now active in 24 languages, we are now making available a new single telephone number for the Belgian assistance line for victims of human trafficking, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thus, we are lowering the barrier to cross to denounce the facts, file a complaint and go to a help center”, specifies Minister Van Quickenborne.
Sleep dealers, a form of organized crime that can make a lot of money but is hard to detect
In Liège, with its dense built-up area comprising many buildings, some of them dilapidated and divided into small dwellings, the problem manifests itself in particular in the form of slum landlords. In order to combat the phenomenon, an action plan was launched in October 2022, in the test phase, from the Outremeuse police station. To date, 34 buildings have been inspected and nearly 250 reports drawn up. Of these 34 buildings, nine were put up for sale by the owner and five were seized. “This shows that the policy is bearing fruit and makes it possible to clean up the building”, notes the mayor of Liège.
This specifies that beyond real estate, trafficking in human beings is also expressed in Liège through prostitution, drugs and the economy. “In collaboration with social laws, the local police regularly organize checks in catering establishments, night shops and others. When it is found that a person residing illegally is working there, legal follow-up is ensured and the person is referred for care”, adds Willy Demeyer.
In Liège, the ASBL Sürya is the leading partner in this area. “The victims are not always hidden but we do not pay attention to them and we even take advantage of this exploitation without realizing it, for example through a purchase in a night-shop or the renovation / construction of a building”, underlines Christian Meulders, director of the ASBL Sürya. “Minors are a growing phenomenon, in Liège as everywhere in Belgium. More and more minors are sexually exploited, in particular, or economically. And these are very young people aged 13, 14 or even 15.”
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