Human trafficking: Threat to refugees
Thousands of refugees risk their lives to find safety in Europe, but without international action, many will die in their attempt.
00:00 🚨 Millions of refugees are risking their lives to migrate to Europe in search of a safe life.
Hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children are risking their lives to migrate to Europe via perilous land and sea routes, with many dying or disappearing in the process.
Millions of refugees are fleeing conflict and violence in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa in search of a safe life.
Since the Arab Spring in 2011, the Mediterranean has been a flashpoint for mass migration, causing deep rifts between EU nations over how to manage the wave of arrivals.
Unrest in North Africa in 2011 triggered a flood of landings in Lampedusa, leading to an emergency that spread across the Mediterranean Basin.
05:33 🔥 Tensions boiled over in Lampedusa due to overcrowded reception centres, leading to tragedy for migrants waiting for asylum across the Mediterranean.
In March 2011, Lampedusa found itself hosting 10-11,000 migrants living in the streets, beaches, and a place called the Hill of Shame due to the coldest year in the history of the island.
Tensions boiled over on the island of Lampedusa due to overcrowded reception centres, leading to an arson attack and the government eventually sending ferries to take some people off the island.
Since the Arab Spring, new routes have developed across the Mediterranean, leading to chaos, frustration, and long waiting times for migrants.
Migrants in Sicilian reception centres often wait for up to two years to receive asylum, with many facing tragedy if their request is denied.
12:03 🚨 366 people died in a boat capsizing near Lampedusa in 2014, prompting the Italian government to launch "Mare Nostrum" to intercept migrant boats and save lives, while people continue to flee war-torn countries in search of safety.
A boat capsizing near the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2014 resulted in 366 deaths, shocking the islanders and prompting a change in the migrant flow.
18 people were rescued, including two who were already dead, but the wooden fishing vessel with 366 aboard had sunk 20 meters under the sea with its tragic cargo of desperation.
We resuscitated one person, but hundreds of others were not so lucky, arriving in coast guard boats with bodies due to the beautiful weather just a few hundred meters from the port.
The Italian government launched "Mare Nostrum" to intercept migrant boats and save lives, but traffickers now save money on fuel knowing the government will pay for the onward journey.
Italian prosecutors opened an investigation into the Lampedusa disaster, identifying two major traffickers and attempting to arrest them, but were unable to due to the unstable political situation in Libya, with most migrants fleeing violence, terrorism, religious conflict, and war.
People are fleeing war-torn countries and risking their lives to escape violence and persecution.
22:08 🚨 Sub-Saharan migrants, including Abdullah, are trafficked through Africa, enduring a dangerous journey with no food or water, and are exploited and subject to violence in Libya, with no way to turn back once they reach the seashore.
Sub-Saharan migrants, including Abdullah, are trafficked through Africa, enduring a dangerous journey through the Sahara Desert with no food or water, and are robbed by rebels.
Migrants are exploited and often imprisoned when they cross into Libya, with no documents to prove their identity.
Africans are subject to violence and harassment in Libya, and those who try to escape are often put on boats to die in the Mediterranean or try to reach Europe.
Once you reach the seashore, you must enter and cannot turn back.
29:30 💔 Two people died while attempting to cross a Syrian river, highlighting the dangers of the migrant journey from Eritrea to Italy and the risk of being targeted by Libyan gangsters.
Two people died after trying to save themselves in a Syrian river.
Traffickers pack boats with higher paying passengers on top decks, while the poorest black Africans are used as ballast below deck, often dying from suffocation or drowning.
The cost of a migrant's journey from Eritrea to Italy is approximately five thousand dollars.
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Hundreds drowned when a boat carrying 700 people capsized off the coast of Sicily, and the fishing community of Mazzara del Vallo risks being targeted by Libyan gangsters.
36:24 🚢 Libya must provide safe and low-cost passage to disrupt the trafficking market and help refugees and migrants reach their destination safely.
To disrupt the lucrative trafficking market, Libya must offer safe and low-cost passage as a humanitarian bridge across the Mediterranean Sea.
Many refugees and migrants, especially Eritreans, are passing through Italy clandestinely to continue their journey north toward the Alps.
Dozens of boats arrive daily on the Greek islands near Turkey, carrying migrants who must walk 70 kilometres to a crowded reception centre.
Dozens of refugees have drowned in the waters near Bodrum, Turkey while attempting to make the dangerous journey to Kos, Greece.
42:58 🚨 Migrants in various countries are facing bureaucratic processes and searching for shelter, with some avoiding fingerprinting to escape.
Rescued migrants in the straits between Bodrum and Koss are given no official information but must go to the Red Cross, get verified, and then go to the police to be identified.
Migrants often avoid being fingerprinted in order to escape bureaucratic processes and find opportunities in other countries, such as Germany, Australia, Finland, and Sweden.
Migrants arriving barefoot from Africa are checked for scabies and infectious diseases at Italian ports.
Syrian and Iraqi families search for their names on a list posted every morning at the police station and often find shelter in abandoned hotels or in the "Jungle" park.
47:57 🚨 Thousands of refugees risk their lives to find safety in Europe, but without international action, many will die in their attempt.
Desperate migrants are vulnerable to smugglers’ networks as they travel from the Middle East to Europe.
Organized crime is profiting from the lethal trafficking of human cargo, including vulnerable children who are sometimes taken in by state welfare or charity organizations, or fall prey to prostitution or organ harvesting rings.
People are seeking basic needs such as a home and family, and have been away from home for months or even years, often refusing medical help to avoid being identified.
The Syrian conflict has caused immense trauma for families and children, pushing them to flee and seek refuge in neighbouring countries, despite the risk of illegal immigration and punishment.
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Thousands of refugees risk their lives to find safety in Europe, but without international action, many will die in their attempt.
Governments are using modern slavery as an excuse to justify harsh immigration policies while ignoring their own role in creating the conditions for it and failing to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.
00:00 🔥 Outrage over modern slavery has sparked a fight to end it, but EU governments are instead focusing on border control.
Outrage over footage of migrants being sold as slaves in Libya has prompted a fight to end modern slavery, but EU governments are spending millions strengthening borders and returning people to overcrowded Libyan prisons.
01:29 🤔 Governments are using "modern slavery" to mislead us about their immigration policies.
Governments are using the term "modern slavery" to justify tough immigration policies while misleading us about their fight to end it.
02:17 💔 39 people died in a lorry in Essex while attempting to enter the UK illegally due to a lack of legal routes.
39 people were found dead in a lorry in Essex, having used human smugglers to try to enter the UK without permission as they had no access to legal routes.
03:23 🤬 Governments use modern slavery as an excuse to justify harsh immigration policies while ignoring their own role in creating the conditions for it.
Governments use the fight against modern slavery to justify tough immigration policies and distract from their own role in creating the conditions for modern slavery.
Children are kept in larger cages than those used for pets.
05:25 🤦♀️ Governments are unwilling to make changes to immigration systems that would protect vulnerable individuals from modern slavery.
Government policies often drive people into modern slavery, yet they are unwilling to make changes to immigration systems that would protect vulnerable individuals.
07:07 🔒 Immigration policies must be reformed to protect victims of modern slavery.
Immigration policies must be addressed to reduce modern slavery, yet victims are still detained and deported.
07:54 🚨 Anti-trafficking rhetoric has been used to criminalize sex workers instead of protecting them.
Anti-trafficking rhetoric has been weaponized against sex workers, who are often arrested instead of helped when they report violence or trafficking.
09:34 🤔 Governments should implement joint liability laws to hold brands accountable for exploitation in their supply chains.
Rather than relying on consumers to shop ethically, governments should implement joint liability laws to make brands legally responsible for the conditions in their supply chains.
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Exploitation is often framed as modern slavery, but it is actually caused by vulnerable people being exposed to bad work conditions.
Lebanon's legal super nightclubs have become a hub for sex work, with Syrian refugees often being forced into prostitution and facing criminalization instead of help.
00:00 💸 Women from around the world come to Lebanon to make money at its legal super nightclubs.
Women from around the world flock to Lebanon's legal super nightclubs in the hope of making money.
02:14 🤔 Women in Lebanon's super night clubs are restricted and often engage in sex work outside the club.
The girls at the club are not officially prostitutes, but many of them do engage in sex work outside the club.
Women working in Lebanon's super nightclubs are restricted by contracts and are not allowed to leave until after 1 o'clock.
04:31 🤔 Tony's Club had an unexpected influx of mostly Eastern European girls with blonde hair, despite no sex being allowed on the premises.
Around 40 mostly Eastern European girls with blonde hair showed up at Tony's Club after he stopped talking, despite no sex being allowed on the premises.
Women are locked up in a hotel from 5 am to 1 pm for their own safety and to limit prostitution.
07:07 🚨 Lebanon's sex market has shifted from a tourist attraction to street prostitution due to Syrian refugees.
People are forced into prostitution and sex buyers point out specific women to buy their services.
Lebanon used to be a sex tourist attraction, but now there is a lot of street prostitution due to Syrian refugees and a changing market.
09:51 💔 Hobart, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, was forced into prostitution after her husband's death.
Hobart, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, was forced into prostitution after her husband died fighting in the Syrian army, and she has no plans to return to Syria.
11:30 🚨 Seven girls and three pimps were arrested in a raid, with one Syrian pimp, and the future of a Syrian woman was discussed.
Police are attempting to catch pimps and prostitutes by messaging them and blocking off roads near a hotel.
Seven girls and three pimps were arrested in a raid, with one of the pimps being Syrian.
We identified a woman from Syria and discussed her future, as well as the environment and martial artist Rebecca Jarvis.
16:23 💔 Afiya was forced into prostitution, but not all cases involve pimps.
Afiya was forced into the situation and was allowed to join the police brief after speaking, with a member of the police present.
Friends persuaded her to enter prostitution, but not all cases involve pimps forcing people into it.
18:33 🚨 Police are arresting prostitutes and placing them in jail instead of the super nightclub owners, while refugees fleeing war are often greeted with criminal records instead of help.
Police are arresting prostitutes and placing them in jail instead of the super nightclub owners who are openly facilitating sex.
The focus of law enforcement is on the streets, not the red-light district, where men are enabled and women are held to a different standard.
The women were transferred to prison to await a judge's decision on whether their case is considered human trafficking or sex work, with the latter resulting in up to a year in jail.
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Refugees fleeing war are often greeted with criminal records instead of help and are sometimes forced to work in prostitution.
