by Mary Adams, AWC The Hague
Interview with Dr. Conny Rijken,
Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was established by the United Nations in 2014 and is observed annually on July 30. The purpose is to raise awareness and promote and protect the rights of trafficking victims.
The UN defined human trafficking in the Palermo Protocol as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of threat, or use of force, coercion or deception to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” According to this definition, trafficking includes sexual exploitation, forced and bonded labor, domestic servitude, any form of slavery and removal of organs.1
In 2016, FAWCO and The FAWCO Foundation hosted the Stand Up Against Human Trafficking Symposium in The Hague. One of our featured speakers was Conny Rijken, Professor of Human Trafficking and Globalization at Tilburg University. During her presentation, “The Perfect Victim of Human Trafficking,” she challenged the audience about their perceived stereotypes of victims. In September 2022, Conny was appointed as the Dutch National Rapporteur. In honor of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Conny and I sat down to talk about how she continues to stand tall in the fight against human trafficking.
In this article, we update the perfect victim profile. Conny describes her role as Dutch National Rapporteur, including actions that she is already taking to improve how the Netherlands combats human trafficking. She shares success stories and challenges, and most importantly, provides advice to FAWCO members about what we can do to disrupt human trafficking.
Updating the Perfect Victim Profile
Mary: Conny, it has been seven years since your presentation at the Symposium. Have your ideas about vulnerability and the perfect victim changed?
Conny: Definitely, yes. We now have more insights about multi-problem vulnerability in our knowledge base. The term multi-problem implies multiple problems in families and communities that result in a higher probability of vulnerability. Multi-problem describes a combination of social factors such as lack of education, unstable home life, social isolation, abuse of social media and gender-based violence. The severity of multi-problems with victims can be quite shocking.
Mary: In 2017, the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons estimated that females represent 96% of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation.2 However, I have read some disturbing trends that the demand for younger girls continues to grow. Is age now a vulnerability factor?
Conny: Age does represent vulnerability. Unfortunately, more young girls are becoming victims. Since many girls have never lived a healthy life in a good social environment, they are really stuck. It is challenging to remove them from their social environment, even if they recognize it as toxic. We need to provide them with tools to build a completely new life or to survive in such an environment without further harm.
Mary: The Netherlands has developed a comprehensive approach to human trafficking. This means not only focusing on victims but also on offenders. Do you now see perpetrators as perfect victims too?
Conny: We know from research that like their victims, perpetrators can also experience multi-problem issues. Factors such as family situation, migration background, education and work situation are prevalent in the perpetrator profiles for domestic sexual exploitation. Of course, this does not justify their behavior. However, if we want to effectively prevent human trafficking, we need to understand the root causes that create a perpetrator.
Mary: Since 2020, we have seen the impact of world events playing a role in creating the perfect victim. Let’s talk about COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.
Conny: We have seen positive and negative impacts of COVID-19. In relation to labor exploitation, how migrants lived and worked became more visible because of their high risk of infection. In 2020, the Roemer Committee, led by former Socialist Party leader Emile Roemer, drew up a report with proposals on the position of migrant workers that included broad recommendations, from policy laws to adequate housing. So COVID-19 actually lessened their vulnerability in labor abuse. However, with the Dutch brothels closed, COVID-19 also radically increased online recruitment for sexual exploitation.
The war in Ukraine has made the migration context more prominent. For people fleeing the conflict, they are not only vulnerable to victimization along their routes but also to situations of exploitation when they arrive in the Netherlands. The government has created a website and app for Ukrainian refugees that includes information about asylum, education, healthcare, work and income.
The Role of Dutch National Rapporteur
As per Article 19 of the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, Member States have an obligation to establish national rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms. In April 2000, the Netherlands was the first EU Member State to appoint a National Rapporteur.3 The Dutch National Rapporteur investigates the nature and scale of human trafficking and sexual violence against children in the Netherlands, evaluates policies to combat these crimes and delivers recommendations on how to improve the comprehensive national approach to combat human trafficking and sexual violence against children.4
Conny is assisted by a dynamic team of 15 researchers, legal advisors and communications experts. Her role is defined by three key components:
- research and advise
- collaborative networking
- provide insight
Mary: How do you get you information and insights?
Conny: We have developed an integrated research method. As the Rapporteur, I have close contact with national and international organizations, the media, politics, business and industry, and research institutes. My staff conducts research on topical issues in human trafficking that we have observed and learned about from our partners and people in the field. Our research team then digs deeper to see what is really going on. This gives us the opportunity not only to advise, but to share information between organizations.
Mary: The National Rapporteur position is independent from Dutch Ministries. What is the value of being independent?
Conny: Independence empowers me to identify and report critical issues to the government. In other words, I do not get assignments from the government. I set my own agenda. I determine what is important with no negative consequences. Solid research and good thinking provide critical insights about how the Netherlands can achieve higher goals and get better results in the fight against human trafficking.
Mary: How do you work with the government to keep human trafficking on the national agenda?
Conny: My role as advisor is broader than just producing reports. We influence politicians to not only raise their awareness on human trafficking issues but to keep that awareness high on the political agenda. We find allies amongst politicians, but they also find allies in us when they have questions.
Research Leads to Action
Mary: Now that we understand your role, let’s get back to the perfect victim. How are you meeting the challenges in multi-problem victim vulnerability?
Conny: This is a multi-challenge issue! Currently, the Dutch operate under a government-regulated system in which citizens, healthcare purchasers and providers determine the price, quality and service based on competitive supply and demand. It isn’t fruitful or efficient when this type of price competition happens between care chain organizations dealing with multi-problem victims. We have taken the first step in changing the market forces by conducting multi-problem research for CoMensha, our national Coordination Centre against Human Trafficking, based on which beds were created at the national level for victims with multi-problems.
Finding a viable solution for an integrated care system will continue to be a challenge in the Netherlands because our healthcare system is exclusive. That means that care is segregated into specific categories such as psychological problems, addiction, human trafficking and domestic violence. As we now know, multi-problem victims may fall into all of these categories. Often they do not receive the care services that they need.
Mary: What about multi-problem vulnerability for perpetrators?
Conny: Our latest report and research revealed a high recidivism rate among human traffickers. Not only were they involved in trafficking – they also moved on to different types of criminality such as drug-related or violent crime. The impact of our report was that it provided resocialization organizations with information and a solid ground to develop and integrate multi-problem solutions into their programs. For me, this showcases how our national research supports implementation and facilitates good practices.
Mary: Representing the Netherlands as the National Rapporteur includes networking with other established rapporteurs and international organizations such as the Council of Europe (GRETA) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to share information and exchange best practices. What happens at these network meetings?
Conny: International networking groups give us the opportunity to review topics and present different perspectives. For example, at an OSCE meeting in June, we discussed how different countries address criminal exploitation. Criminal exploitation is when victims are manipulated and coerced into committing crimes. It is important that also at the regional level, different types of exploitation must have agreed-upon definitions that are well understood and can be addressed accordingly.
Mary: Do these group discussions ever result in action?
Conny: The OSCE has developed the anti-trafficking architecture, a governance blueprint to streamline the functions of multi-discipline organizations and when developing national action plans. I feel that part of my role is to facilitate the process to translate such an architecture to the national level. Our next step is a hands-on workshop with the OSCE to review our current practices against their governance blueprint. This is a collaborative work environment in action.
Public Awareness and Engagement
Mary: What is your advice to FAWCO members who want to stand up against human trafficking?
Conny: There is a role for everyone in society to be healthy and safe. Keep your eyes and ears open! It all starts with awareness. Be alert and report if you see someone in a bad situation.
Mary: Conny, thanks very much for your time today to share your insights and challenges in fighting human trafficking. FAWCO members, there are a lot of awareness materials on the internet. An easy start is the U.S. Department of State publication 20 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking.
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Conny Rijken has been the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children since September 1, 2022. The National Rapporteur investigates the nature and extent of human trafficking and sexual violence against children in the Netherlands, and advises national and local government, other administrative bodies, international organizations and professionals who provide help and support, on how to prevent and combat human trafficking and sexual violence against children.
Dr. Rijken is also professor of Human Trafficking and Globalization at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and an elected member of GRETA (Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings). The latter is a group of 15 experts monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the Parties. Rijken holds a PhD in Law.
National Rapporteur Conny Rijken has spent the past 25 years researching the various aspects of human trafficking, including labor exploitation, the role of companies in combating human trafficking and the psychological consequences of human trafficking. In addition, she is an expert in the field of global migration and conducts research into abuses during migration, including human trafficking and smuggling.
1 https://www.humantraffickingfoundation.org/theissue
2 https://icat.un.org/sites/g/files/tmzbdl461/files/publications/icat-ib-04-v.1.pdf
4 https://www.dutchrapporteur.nl/trafficking-in-human-beings
Photo: Arenda Oomen