Human trafficking occurs when a person's personal predicament is exploited in order to exploit them. One form of human trafficking is labor exploitation and/or forced labor.
This is how the perpetrators proceed
The victims, who come from both abroad and Germany, are usually recruited for a job with false promises. This is done, for example, in the form of job offers via supposedly trustworthy relatives who refer the victims for exploitation; with offers of well-paid work (agriculture, care, private households, construction, catering, etc.) via advertisements, agencies or the Internet. The personal or economic plight of a victim is often deliberately exploited in order to get them into the relevant jobs.
Check the following tips from the NRW police
Do you find yourself
- dependent on the employer? (e.g. due to the work/residence permit)
- in isolation, e.g. due to lack of language skills, lack of social networks?
Have you...
- been stripped of your papers?
- told that you have debts that you have to pay off?
- threatened with violence?
Would you like to know...
- whether you were made false promises about work and earning opportunities?
- whether your ignorance of your own rights and the (employment) legal situation in Germany was exploited?
- How you can assert your claims
This is what the NRW police
- Conduct advice
- Measures to avert danger
- Prosecution under criminal law
- Referral to specialist advice centers
You can find your local police station via our guard finder: https://polizei.nrw/wachenfinder.
How advice centers help
- Counseling sessions (e.g. on site, by phone or by email)
- Information about your rights and obligations as an employee or self-employed person
- Information about working conditions, pay scales and rules on remuneration
- Support in contacting authorities, government agencies and other institutions
For more information, visit https://www.servicestelle-gegen-zwangsarbeit.de/beratungsStellen/ and https://www.mags.nrw/beratungsstel-len-arbeit-finden.
Opferschutz und Prävention der Polizei NRW
The aim is to improve your life situation as a victim and to support you in asserting your rights. This is done in cooperation with specialist advice centers.
Further information
You can find more information at http://www.kok-gegen-menschenhandel.de/ and https://www.polizei-beratung.de/infos-fuer-betroffe-ne/menschenhandel.
