Finnish Government to Examine Procedures How Residence Permits Are Issued to Victims of Trafficking

The Finnish Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy have performed an investigation on the basis of which victims of human trafficking are granted residence permits.

The investigation aims to examine how the Finnish Immigration Service employs specific rules on the temporary and permanent residence permits issued to victims of human trafficking, based on the Aliens Act.

The report is conducted by the Finnish Equality Ombudsman, which operates as a national reporter on human rights, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

The national reporter carries duties such as guiding, advising, and preparing the authorities, as well as supervising the anti-trafficking work implemented in Finland, and then reports the findings to the Government and Parliament.

In a press release issued by the Ministry of the Interior, the Finnish Government explained that the report studies how the identification of victims of human trafficking has been carried out by the Finnish Immigration Service, what forms of exploitation the victims have been exposed to, and to what extent they can deal with the exploitation.

Furthermore, the report analyzes how the Aliens Act has been employed during the processing of victims' information and what components helped in interpreting the Act.

“The subject of the study is the residence permit and asylum decisions made by the Finnish Immigration Service between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 concerning victims of human trafficking. The aim is to provide information on the basis of which potential needs for changes in legislation and the development of application and interpretation practices can be assessed,” the Finnish Government commented on the study.

The Government asserted that the report does not support trafficking work and that one of the main research questions, based on the Aliens Act, was constructed to gather information regarding the vulnerability of human trafficking victims.

“There are several entries in the government program to intensify anti-trafficking work. The aim is to provide better assistance to victims, faster identification and detection of human trafficking, and the realization of criminal liability,” the Finish Government added.

The present report will be published in autumn 2021.

The provisions on the residence permit issued to human trafficking victims were included in the Aliens Act in 2006, as a result of the mandatory EU regulations on Finland. The aim of the reform is to fight human trafficking and protect the victims so they do not fall prey to traffickers again.

Currently, the Finnish Government issues a temporary resident status to every victim, given that their stay is justified and all ties are detached from suspected traffickers. In comparison, a permanent residence permit is issued if the victim is in a highly vulnerable situation. In such a case, the victim is not required to justify their stay.