BackThe Ombudsman of Spain has updated the 2012 monographic report “Human Trafficking in Spain: Invisible Victims” in order to know the status of recommendations made to the different Administrative bodies with competences in this field. Out of the 27 recommendations made in the report, 19 have been accepted (71 %), 2 have been rejected (7 %) and 6 are being carried out (22 %).
Hence, coordinated strategies with the international community have been established to fight against human trafficking; national strategies have been created such as the police plan against human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation or the cooperation agreement signed between the Ministries of Employment and Interior for fighting against illegal employment and social security fraud.
Also, new instruments for the protection of victims have been adopted such as the Instruction of the Department on Alien Affairs and Borders on the actions to be carried out when foreign minors at risk are detected. As well, the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Health, Defence and Foreign Affairs have bet for a multidisciplinary approach training of their staff.
The Ombudsman Office takes a positive view of these advances and considers that there are still remaining challenges. Hence, it highlights the necessity of establishing strategies to protect the victim beyond its condition of key witness in a criminal proceeding: it requests to accelerate the work in order to elaborate a protocol to fight against human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation and it considers necessary to approve an adequate framework that allows the identification, protection and assistance to minors, victims of human trafficking.
Source: Office of the Ombudsman of Spain
