Jambon sets up task force to fight human trafficking

Federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon has set up a task force to address human trafficking, in an effort to avoid the creation of “a Belgian Calais,” he announced at the weekend.

“Crime will always take the line of least resistance,” he said on VTM News. “If the authorities in Calais become tougher, we have to expect the smuggling networks to come here. And prevention is better than cure.”

The task force is made up of representatives of various bodies involved with the fight against human trafficking: federal and local police, magistrates, the Office for Foreigners, asylum agency Fedasil and the provincial governors. The work will include sharing information, planning joint actions and co-ordinating intelligence on trafficking gangs with authorities in other countries, particularly France and the UK.

“We are after those who make money off the backs of people we should be regarding as victims and who sometimes pay for their actions with their lives in miserable circumstances on those boats and in container lorries,” said Jambon (pictured).

Since the beginning of 2014, police have filed reports on 355 human trafficking suspects, 40% of whom are involved in more than one case. The most common nationality involved in the crime are Belgians, representing one in five smugglers, followed by Afghans and Iraqis.

Most of the people being trafficked are Syrian, Algerian and Moroccan. In the first half of this year, 467 illegal immigrants have been caught in West Flanders as a result of human trafficking. “That’s 10% fewer than the year before, most likely thanks to the increased efforts we’ve already made,” Jambon said.

Photo: Jonathan Raa/Demotix/Corbis