Labour inspectors participated at the three-day long operational action targeting online criminal activities that enable human trafficking
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ELA supported the 2023 EMPACT Trafficking in Human Being Hackathon
News
A recent hackathon organized by the Netherlands between 18 and 22 September 2023 in Apeldoorn (Netherlands), brough together 85 law enforcement officers from 26 countries as well as representatives from the European Labour Authority (ELA), Europol, CEPOL, INTERPOL, the OSCE and the International Justice Mission. This year also labour inspectors from 5 EU member states took part in the hackathon. The hackathon was targeting human traffickers who are using online platforms to recruit victims for both sexual and labour exploitation, with some specific focus on recruitment of Ukrainian and Chinese victims. During the three-day long operational action law enforcement officers checked 371 platforms for human trafficking activities.
The hackathon resulted in:
- 85 people/usernames checked
- 371 platforms checked (including social media and dating platforms, web forums, marketplaces and online applications)
- 325 communication devices (including phone numbers, mobile apps, email addresses and fax numbers)
- 26 online platforms suspected of human trafficking checked
- 5 online platforms identified as engaged in human trafficking checked
- 10 online platforms linked to child sexual abuse online checked
The hackathon was organised in the framework of EMPACT that is an effective instrument for joint efforts and cooperation to fight organised crimes including trafficking in human beings.
Background information
What is EMPACT? The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most important threats posed by organised and serious international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles focusing on common EU crime priorities. There is a special focus on multi-agency cooperation between various authorities in the participating countries.
