Marlene Matos, coordinator of the research group on Victimology and Justice Law at CIPsi’s Victims, Offenders and Justice System Laboratory presented the results of the project “Improving prevention, assistance, protection and (re)integration systems for victims of sexual exploitation” in the closing session that took place on 29 April at the “Salão Nobre” of the Portuguese Ministry of Home Affairs.
The aim of the project was to improve prevention and identification strategies, as well as to develop personalized assistance, protection and reintegration programs for victims of sexual exploitation.
After interviewing 90 victims, it was concluded that the majority received support, but not specialized enough, in order to break away from criminal networks. The government’s efforts in assistance, access to justice and awareness-raising have been recognized, but there is still a lot to be done. The victims are mainly Brazilian and Romanian immigrant women, often involved in prostitution rings. The aggressors, usually Portuguese men aged between 30 and 50, exert control over their victims through promises of relationships or emotional manipulation.
Marlene Matos emphasized the importance of recognizing victims’ rights, streamlining protection and reintegration processes, and providing ongoing support tailored to individual needs. She also highlighted the additional challenges brought on by the pandemic, including difficulties in detecting and signaling the crime, especially for migrants, and the adaptation of criminals to the use of online media to attract victims during lockdowns.
Access to psychiatric and psychological support is a critical challenge for victims, many of whom face a lack of empathy when looking for help. The recommendation is to identify vulnerable groups, make victims’ rights known and offer support for reintegration. The pandemic has increased the vulnerability of victims and made it more difficult to detect these crimes, especially with the increase in online exploitation.
The project, funded by EEA Grants Portugal 2014-2021, included training and awareness campaigns.
The Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality is the Program Operator and the General Secretariat for Home Affairs / the Observatory on Trafficking in Human Beings is the Project Promoter. The partner entities are the Directorate-General for Health, the IEFP - Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional, I.P. (Institute of Employment and Vocational Training), the APF - Associação para o Planeamento da Família (Association for Family Planning), the “O Ninho” association, the team “Micaela” - Fundação Madre Sacramento (Mother Sacramento Foundation), the Obra Social das Irmãs Oblatas do Santíssimo Redentor (Social Work of the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer) and Nadheim Oslo.
The closing session of the project was broadcast live on the Facebook page of the OTSH - Observatory on Trafficking in Human Beings:
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