Cases of modern slavery, in which either foreign workers or socially vulnerable Czech citizens are exploited, are on the rise in the Czech Republic, according to Jiri Mazanek, director of the National Centre against Organised Crime (NCOZ), speaking in an interview with CTK and Czech Radio.
The criminal perpetrators are socially adept and control their victims by creating debts or running errands for them with the authorities, Mazanek said.
Police officers are therefore launching an awareness campaign on the issue for victims and the public.
“Modern slavery is more common in the Czech Republic than we might think,” said Mazanek. “In recent years, we have uncovered and investigated several serious cases; each single case can involve a group of 10-15 perpetrators and the abuse of 15-20 people continuously over several years.” Police statistics show 39 cases of human trafficking last year, but the estimated actual number is much higher.
Slave traders can be of Czech origin or foreign nationals. “Let’s not imagine daily beatings, no way,” Mazanek said. “The perpetrators usually try to create financial dependence by making or taking on debt or social dependence when arranging a number of things for the victims that they cannot provide for themselves. For example, they provide accommodation and food for homeless people.”
The first category of victims are dependent or impoverished Czech citizens. The second are foreign agency workers who come to the Czech Republic to work. “Their wages are reduced, their documents are taken away,” Mazanek explained. “They are forced to work illegally in what we can call slave families. Almost without exception, these are various types of manual work – in agriculture, on construction sites, in laundries, but also personal service in the households of the slavers.”
He added that there are hundreds of thousands of foreign workers in the Czech Republic, which is why the Czech Republic is a target country for this type of crime. Some of the workers – including those who arrive legally – are then forced to work in conditions other than the contracted ones, and if they do not comply with the instructions, they are punished.
The public can help recognise victims, because they tend to be silent and frightened, have no documents, cannot communicate, do not know how much they earn, or have someone else to act on their behalf at the authorities.
NCOZ is also launching the “Working in Chains” awareness campaign to overcome mistrust of the police among victims who may have had bad experiences with police officers from their home countries, or fear deportation.
“When the first wave of Ukrainian refugees came here, the state – especially the Ministry of the Interior – did a tremendous job of explaining to these people that they didn’t need any labour brokers or semi-mafia structures taking care of them. They can trust an official here, they don’t have to bribe them, and they will get them a job,” said Mazanek, as an example of how contact can be established with these communities.
Experts from NCOZ’s Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration Department explain the issue of modern slavery and the practices of perpetrators in a video available on YouTube, with subtitles in Czech, English, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian and Russian. The centre has also established cooperation with the non-profit organisation La Strada, which offers free assistance to victims of slave traders.
