Institutional Response to Trafficking in Human Beings in Spain: Are All Victims Equally Protected?

Abstract

Trafficking in human beings is closely related to the cross-border movements of people and smuggling of migrants. However, the victim-centred regulatory approach to this reality internationally adopted places the protection of victims’ human rights at the centre and demands an institutional response focused on their detection and protection. In order to determine whether this type of approach is being adopted in Spain, an online survey was conducted of 150 bodies, units and organisations that may have come into contact with such victims. The research results make it possible to determine how cases of trafficking are brought to light and which bodies are most effective at detecting them. They also offer information about the type of assistance offered to victims and the protection measures provided for under immigration law that are used depending on the type of trafficking suffered. These findings confirm that the institutional response to trafficking in human beings in Spain remains too focused on the trafficking of foreign women for sexual exploitation. Alternatives are proposed to overcome this highly biased response to the phenomenon.