Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Securing evidence: The key to convicting human traffickers
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 05 - 03 - 2022

"Slave" tattoos, electric shock devices, and plastic bracelets. These are examples of the kinds of objects and physical abuses deployed by human traffickers to control, torture, and brand their victims, and which are crucial to securing a conviction.
The plastic bracelets the women wore in a bar in Argentina indicated the number of men they had been forced to have sex with. In Thailand, men and children from Myanmar were exploited in the fishing industry: an electric shock device was used if they refused to work.
And a Chinese symbol for "slave" was tattooed on the ankle of a woman in the United States.
A complex crime
These tactics were later used against the criminals themselves in court, when they provided vital evidence that led to a guilty verdict for human trafficking — particularly important in such as complex crime, that is difficult to prove.
Despite its prevalence in all regions of the world, there are persistent low levels of prosecutions and convictions of traffickers.
"One of the main challenges is the timely collection of sufficient and admissible evidence. Certain skills are needed to do this," says Davor Raus, a criminal justice expert from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"We train police officers and investigators how to legally obtain evidential items which can prove that a crime of human trafficking has been committed."
Currently, criminal justice systems rely heavily on verbal or written statements from the victims when investigating and prosecuting cases of human trafficking.
However, according to experts from the UNODC's Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, such testimonies can be difficult to obtain, and often lack sufficient credibility needed for a court ruling against a trafficker.
Data from the latest UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, showed that in 2018 almost 50,000 human trafficking victims were detected in 135 countries, while 88 countries reported just over 3,500 convictions.
Some countries do not give victims the protection they need, so they are reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement. Others are afraid their traffickers will harm them or their families, or do not trust the authorities that are questioning them.
In some cases, victims are related to the traffickers, feel a sense of love or loyalty towards them, or they have been indoctrinated to tell a certain story.
"In most cases victim testimonies are vital, because only the person who has been trafficked can provide the context," said Rahel Gershuni, a lawyer and international expert on combatting human trafficking.
Peeling away the layers
"However, in view of the typical weaknesses that plague victim testimonies, it is necessary to gather other forms of evidence and evaluate on the totality of the evidence, rather than limiting it to the victim statement."
Gershuni, who led the drafting of UNODC's Global Digest on Evidential Issues in Trafficking in Persons Cases, adds that victims often tell their story in segments "like the peeling of an onion", with contradictions, inconsistencies, and delays.
"This can give the impression the victim is not credible. But this behavior may be explained by the vulnerabilities of the victim and the trauma they have experienced," she added.
Victims can suffer memory lapses due to their trafficking ordeal, and if they need to face their traffickers in court, may be too scared or intimidated to speak the truth.
"Therefore, it is essential that the court considers the experiences of the victim before, during and after the trafficking process and how this can influence a statement," says Gershuni.
Biological traces
During UNODC workshops participants learn about the various types of evidence that can be used in trafficking cases.
This can include biological traces that can come from bloodstains, saliva samples and semen, and tissue samples from skin, nails, teeth, bone, or hair, which can be analyzed by forensic scientists.
Objects such as money, mobile phones, condoms, and sex toys found in the possession of the suspects or at a crime scene can also provide evidence of exploitation.
"There was case involving three physically disabled Slovakian men who had been driven to Belgium by a Hungarian trafficker. He forced them to beg all day outside a supermarket and took all their money," said UNODC's Raus.
"The guilty verdict was supported by objects found in the defendant's car where the victims had been sleeping — pillows, a large quantity of coins and signs in French asking for money."
Photographs or videos of chains, locks and high fences can also support statements about victims' living conditions or their presence in exploitative premises.
In a case in Australia, a video of the bedroom where victims of sexual exploitation slept, showed a lack of furniture, supporting the prosecution case that the victims were held under conditions of slavery.
"It's important that law enforcement officials not only understand how to collect vital evidence, but also how to handle it properly. So, this aspect is covered too in our training sessions," said Raus.
"If evidence is not collected, preserved, and presented according to national standards it can be rejected in court. A case against a trafficker could collapse, so this is what is at stake here," he concludes. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.