Exploited Hopes and Dreams in modern slavery

Exploited Hopes and Dreams
in modern slavery

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Facts of Modern Slavery

Elena’s Story

Petra’s Story

Sources

Exploited Hopes and Dreams in modern slavery

Exploited Hopes and Dreams
in modern slavery

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Definition of Modern Slavery / Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a serious crime that violates basic human rights and human dignity. Perpetrators of human trafficking exploit the poverty or hardship of others and their hope of a better future elsewhere, by luring them with false promises of work or marriage opportunities. Once at their destination, victims are forced into dependency by coercion, violence or debt bondage (e.g. to pay off their travel debts) and exploited.

Three features, occurring in combination, constitute human trafficking under the international definition:

… the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons (act)

… by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion (means)

… for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labour or the removal of human organs (purpose)

Source Definition: KSMM

Exploited Hopes and Dreams in modern slavery

Exploited Hopes and Dreams
in modern slavery

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MODERN SLAVERY

“Traffickers prey on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life”Hillary Clinton

“Traffickers prey on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life”
Hillary Clinton

There are 21 million victims in modern slavery on any given day.

Click for the Definition of Modern Slavery

There are two different kinds of modern slavery:

Forced labour exploitation – 16 million victims

Forced labour exploitation
16 million victims

Labor Trafficking is the recruitment of a person for labor, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of slavery.

Labor Trafficking is the recruitment of a person for labor, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of slavery.

Forced sexual exploitation – 5 million victims

Forced sexual exploitation
5 million victims

Sex Trafficking is the recruitment of a person for a commercial sex act by force, fraud or coercion.

Sex Trafficking is the recruitment of a person for a commercial sex act by force, fraud or coercion.

There are 21 million victims in modern slavery on any given day.

Click for the Definition of Modern Slavery

There are two different kinds of modern slavery:

Forced labour exploitation – 16 million victims

Forced labour exploitation
16 million victims

AdultsChildren

Forced sexual exploitation – 5 million victims

Forced sexual exploitation
5 million victims

AdultsChildren

There are 21 million victims in modern slavery on any given day.

Click for the Definition of Modern Slavery

There are two different kinds of modern slavery:

Forced labour exploitation – 16 million victims

Forced labour exploitation
16 million victims

WomanMan

Forced sexual exploitation – 5 million victims

Forced sexual exploitation
5 million victims

WomanMan

There are 21 million victims in modern slavery on any given day.

Click for the Definition of Modern Slavery

These are split into 5 different parts in the graphic:

Asia and Pacific

Africa

Europe and Central Asia

Americas

Arab States

There are an estimated 1500 victims in Switzerland.

Click for the Definition of Modern Slavery

From these 1500 there are only 14 convictions in 2016:

Estimated victims

Number of victims the police reported

Number of victims
the police reported

Number of convictions
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They all had the dream and hope for a better life.

Choose a victim of modern slavery and learn how they were exploited in Switzerland.

STORY OF ELENA: FORCED LABOUR EXPLOITATION

STORY OF ELENA:
FORCED LABOUR EXPLOITATION

Elena grew up in a poor family in eastern Europe. She was able to attend school only for a few years, because she had to take care of the family.

OFFER

Her mother got in touch with a family in Switzerland through a friend.
Elena got an offer in the household to care for the children so she would get a wage, free food, and accommodation.

Her mother got in touch with a family in Switzerland through a friend. Elena got an offer in the household to care for the children so she would get a wage, free food, and accommodation.

ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND

As soon as she arrived the exploitation began. She had to work around the clock for the new family. She only got food if there were leftovers. If she refused to obey, she was beaten and she never saw any of the promised money.

EXPLOITED IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY

Elena was scared and could not defend herself in a foreign country without any language skills. She realized that her dream of a better life got exploited.

FORCED TO STAY

Elena stayed because she didn’t know her rights and her passport was taken away. She was also threatened that she would get arrested if she ran away.

ELENA’S CHANCE

A neighbor noticed that Elena was being mistreated and called the police.

Elena decided to testify against the couple in court. The court recognized that the couple had kept Elena in slave-like conditions and exploited hers hope for a better life.

Most victims move around freely, but are bound by debts, threats and violence. She is a typical example.

STORY OF PETRA: FORCED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

STORY OF PETRA:
FORCED SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

Petra is from Russia. Her salary from working as a sales assistant wasn’t enough to cover the living costs for her two children and her sick mother.

OFFER

In a club a well-known person referred her to a job in Switzerland.
Petra was promised a good wage and that her travel cost would be refunded. She believed that would be enough to support her family.

In a club a well-known person referred her to a job in Switzerland. Petra was promised a good wage and that her travel cost would be refunded. She believed that would be enough to support her family.

ARRIVAL IN SWITZERLAND

She was picked up from the airport and was taken directly to a Swiss brothel. Once she arrived, she was told she had to pay 20’000 Swiss francs to cover her travel costs and would have to fulfill the brothel’s client’s desires.

EXPLOITED IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY

Petra refused to fulfill the client’s wishes and was beaten for that. She realized that her dream of a better life got exploited.

FORCED TO STAY

Petra’s passport and the flight ticket were taken away from her and she was threatened that something would happen to her family if she refused to work as a prostitute.

PETRA’S WAY OUT

After 4 months she still had 18’000 Swiss francs in debt and she was told she had to find a Swiss man willing to marry her to stay in the country. Petra was desperate and fled from the brothel.

Luckily, a passer-by approached her and took her to an organization that could help (FIZ). Petra didn’t dare to file charges against the brothel, she just wanted to go back home.

Petra or Elena could be the person standing right in front of you in the grocery store or in the bus. Would you be able to recognize that they are victims of modern slavery?

MODERN SLAVERY

“ Traffickers prey on the hopes and dreams of those seeking a better life Hillary Clinton

Sources

Worldwide numbers

Report Global Estimates of Modern Slavery

Estimated numbers from 2016. I based this project on 21 million victims, this number excludes the forced marriage and state-imposed forced labour as used by KSMM.

Estimated number from Switzerland

Global Slavery Index 2016

Estimated number from 2016

Numbers Switzerland

KSMM Factsheet

Numbers from 2016

Elena’s and Petra’s Stories

FIZ-Bildungsmappe (German)

Victims by citizenship from Switzerland

Report Trafficking in Person country profile Europe

Numbers from 2012

About this project

This project was created as the final project of my internship at Interactive Things. The goal was to show that modern slavery also exists in Switzerland and that most of the victims’ hopes and dreams got destroyed by traffickers.

Credits

This project was created by Chiara Kühne.

CC BY-SA 4.0 License