In ‘t Gooi there were almost 50 reports of human trafficking last year. These reports were received by HVO Querido. Human trafficking is usually not visible and therefore remains difficult to tackle. Heleen Driessen, care coordinator for Human Trafficking, advocates more awareness. If you know what to look for, you will see the signals.
It is not rife, but in 2023 there were 49 reports of human trafficking in ‘t Gooi. Including sexual exploitation. Because although they are no longer called that, ‘lover boys’ still exist: boys who lure vulnerable girls into prostitution.
People are often unaware of what human trafficking actually is. So the first thought that comes to mind is usually that it is sexual exploitation. But it is much broader, because nail stylists who work far too long hours, are not allowed to go outside and receive little or no money also fall under human trafficking.
Au pair in ‘t Gooi
And a variant that also occurs in ‘t Gooi is the foreign au pair who is ‘oversubscribed’. Although a Dutch mediation agency should explain all the rights of the au pair and all the duties of the host parents, in practice it appears that the rights are sometimes violated and the duties are not always fulfilled.
But there is also criminal exploitation, which often involves young people who are recruited to collect drugs or, for example, to make their bank account available for shady purposes. To prevent this and other types of exploitation, information is provided in secondary schools.
Then you also have modern slavery. Driessen says that there was even a case of someone who had been made a house slave. But usually this form of exploitation revolves around situations where labor rights are violated for the victim.
Way too long days, barely allowed to go outside, little or no pay. The non-visible group of migrant workers is a sensitive target group for this form of exploitation.
Rights and obligations
And therefore au pairs in ‘t Gooi sometimes appear to be abused under labor law. Too many hours, too little money or vacation and too many ‘care tasks’ for the family. It is the interaction between host parents who, the longer the au pair lives under their roof, sometimes ‘forget’ the rights of their working guest and the resident himself who is not always well informed about the obligations of their employer.
Let alone that they know that they can immediately report exploitation if there is any evidence of exploitation. The labor inspectorate always takes these types of reports very seriously and may even come by to check things.
Human trafficking reporting center
Driessen takes action in various ways. To start with there is one reporting point where people can pass on signals of human trafficking. And if those signals reach Driessen, there is mediation, discussion, authorities are called in or, in the worst and extreme case, the police.
The signals are not always easy to recognize. Bruises after abuse are often hidden and exploitation of au pairs is not something that is discussed among themselves. Still, Driessen advocates paying more attention and addressing each other about issues.
If the au pair works far too long days, this could be something that the neighbors notice, for example. But even if you want to have your nails done in the salon and the price is actually much too low, that can be an alarm bell. It can be a bit difficult to raise the issue directly with the person concerned, which is why there is a reporting point.
Ignorance
However, the care coordinator is very careful not to immediately become suspicious of everything and look for something behind it. If the au pair is sleeping in the school yard, she may have gone out the night before. “But,” she says, “it can sometimes get a little awkward when you speak to each other about something.”
And she emphasizes that it can also happen that there is genuine ignorance. That is why the conversation is first started when a report of exploitation has been made. Or human trafficking, because the definition is broad.