Trafficking in Women / Human Trafficking

Trafficking  in women is a complex issue. This complexity unfolds not only in a national but also in an international context. We see trafficking in women as being an extreme form of abuse within the migration process of women.

The term "female migration" refers to a multifacetted phenomenon. The decissions that women make and the various backgrounds they come from when leaving their countries are as divers as the conditions and situations that await them here in Germany when they migrate. We make a distinction between trafficking in women and the various forms of  female migration. We see female migration as a process which is neither carried out under force, by deceipt, under violence nor as a form of exploitation. Despite this, female migration often puts women in precarious situations. When a conscious decission to migrate for the purpose of finding work is made, if regarded as a  result of worldwide decrepencies in wealth and the structural disadvantages many women face, cannot not in reality be seen as a decission made by free will.

Women and girls are increasingly faced with the choice of migration as a way of finding work. For the most part they are employed in the agricultural sector, in private households or in the entertainment business. On the one hand these women have better possibilites to earn money, but on the other hand it is often the case that women working illegally have no choice but to tolerate extreme working conditions. Women working in such jobs can be exposed to health damaging situations and run the risk of of being trafficked, financially or sexually exploited or face racism and human rights offenses.

Clarification of Terms

The KOK has decided to use the term "Trafficking in Women" because this corresponds to its activities soley in relation to women. These activities cater to the needs of women, needs which are not adequately covered by newly established German laws pertaining to human trafficking.

We see trafficking in women as having taken place when women have been decieved, threatened or violently forced into working in a foreign country and when their work is exploited or shows traites of slavery, in other words when their legal human rights are abused.

In order for trafficking in women to become a proven fact there needs to be evidence of coercion, force and deceipt. Force can be interpreted in many ways.