The Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to Bulgaria – Muriel Berset Kohen and Ms Kamelia Dimitrova, Dignita Executive Director, discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the crime of human trafficking.
The economic crisis and the expected rise of unemployment will force many people to take risks in order to ensure their livelihood, which could lead to trafficking and exploitation. During quarantine and restrictive measures, the strategies of recruitment and exploitation of victims via the Internet are becoming more and more popular. In addition, the increased presence of children in the Internet space exposes them to the risks of child pornography and sexual exploitation.
The Ambassador, Muriel Berset Kohen and Ms Dimitrova agreed that these are some of the challenges caused by the global crisis, while the social impact of the pandemic is yet to be felt and assessed by societies at large. A common field of interest and possibilities for cooperation was the involvement of the private sector in the reintegration of the victims of trafficking, as well as implementation of policies and practices protecting employees’ rights and preventing exploitation in supply chains.
In the course of the Bulgarian-Swiss Cooperation Programme for fight against human trafficking that has been implemented in the period of 2015-2019, Switzerland has supported Bulgaria with 1 863 477 Swiss Francs. The support was focused on crime prevention, victim assistance and improvement of the cooperation between the two countries.