Expert criticizes lax measures against human trafficking
Published: Sunday, Nov 5th 2023, 04:50
Updated At: Monday, Nov 6th 2023, 00:53
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According to expert Julia Kuruc, human trafficking is not being prevented strongly enough in Switzerland. Controls on construction sites leave a lot to be desired.
"The controls are nowhere near as strict as we would like them to be," said Kuruc, who headed the human trafficking victim protection program at the Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration (FIZ) in Zurich until the end of October, in an interview with SonntagsBlick. "The price pressure in the construction industry is massive. The cheapest bid wins, so Swiss construction companies rely on subcontractors. In the end, nobody really looks closely at the conditions under which the construction workers actually work."
Construction workers from south-eastern Europe are lured to Switzerland with false promises of high wages, said Kuruc. "They are not given an employment contract and end up being charged horrendous sums for board and lodging." Those affected are unable to defend themselves as they do not know the local language or Swiss laws. They may even be in debt to the perpetrators.
Criticism of the Dublin system
According to Kuruc, fair wages and strong trade unions and labor inspectorates are needed. There are cantons in which there is officially no human trafficking - but only because there are no authorities or specialist agencies looking into it.
Kuruc also criticized the Dublin system in the interview. This serves as a "staging post" for human trafficking. For example, when a person is deported back to a country in which they were previously exploited. "It plays into the hands of criminals," says Kuruc. "Switzerland can suspend the Dublin procedure at any time. According to the Council of Europe Convention, Switzerland is obliged to protect people - regardless of the Dublin regulation."
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