OSCE urges law enforcement to follow the money and crack down on human trafficking crimes

Law enforcement agencies need to focus on the financial proceeds of human trafficking in order to more effectively penalize the criminals who organize modern-day slavery networks, concludes a new publication launched by the OSCE today.

The paper, which combines research from various publications and seminars from 2008 to the present, argues that financial probes should be a part of investigations into suspected human trafficking from their inception in order to identify and freeze or seize all criminal assets related to the case.

“One of the most effective ways to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking networks is to identify and confiscate the money they earn from their criminal activities,” OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said. “Our new publication is a valuable resource that will help law enforcement officials in the OSCE region shut down these networks and prevent further exploitation of vulnerable people.”

The publication concludes that financial investigations in such cases are essential because the methods by which perpetrators attempt to launder the proceeds of trafficking are identical to those used for other types of organized crimes.

Additionally, confiscated proceeds from trafficking cases should be made available to victims as compensation for their material and immaterial damages.

The paper, Leveraging Anti-Money Laundering Regimes to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, also calls on authorities to work closely with private financial institutions and other firms that facilitate money transfers in order to uncover suspicious capital flows. In addition, the authors highlight the need for closer co-operation between countries to effectively apply existing anti-money laundering regimes.

The OSCE publication is a joint project of the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (OSR/CTHB) and the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the Transnational Threats Department (TNTD/SPMU). It was supported with a significant contribution from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) within the framework of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons.

The publication is available at www.osce.org/secretariat/121125