The European Commission has announced a call for proposals for Address Assistance, Support and Integration of Third-Country National Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings to provide better access to and realise the rights of the victims.

Victims of trafficking in human beings are found in asylum application systems and organised criminal groups abuse asylum procedures, notably ”to legalise both theirs and their victims’ status”. Other documents relevant in that context should also be considered, such as reports published by the EU agencies, in particular those addressing trafficking for sexual exploitation, as well as the high-risk groups and sectors concerned. These reports include Frontex Risk Analysis 2018, Europol 2018 report on child trafficking, Fundamental Rights Agency 2019 guide to enhance child protection focusing on victims of trafficking, European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) 2018 report on Gender-specific measures in anti-trafficking actions.

Objectives

Under the EU legal and policy framework addressing trafficking in human beings, this topic aims at strengthening the actions of relevant stakeholders in the context of the implementation of the EU Anti-trafficking Directive.

Consequently, the topic aims to contribute to the enhanced integration of the third-country nationals (TCN) victims of trafficking in human beings and to the objectives of the 2017 Communication and particularly to the following ones:

• Facilitating the early identification of third-country national victims of trafficking in human beings, including in the context of asylum procedures;
• Providing appropriate assistance and support to victims of trafficking in human beings considering their specific needs based on their personal circumstances and such as their age and sex, and the physical and psychological consequences of the form/s of exploitation they have been subjected to;
• Facilitating durable solutions for the integration of third-country national victims of trafficking, including children, in the host society, that take into account the individual needs of the victims and prevent re-trafficking;
• Facilitating durable solutions for the safe and sustainable voluntary return of third-country national victims of trafficking that build upon appropriate risk assessments and prevent their re-trafficking.

Actions

Actions are expected to be justified in relation to the integration of TCN victims of trafficking in human beings.

• Concrete transnational assistance and support measures, including with respect to health and psychological support, to victims of trafficking in human beings, taking into account their personal circumstances such as whether they are pregnant, their health status, their sex, age or a disability that they may have, as well as the physical or psychological consequences of the form of exploitation they have been subjected to (e.g. pregnancy, psychological trauma, physical injuries), while aiming at enabling and facilitating their integration in the host society.
• As part of the abovementioned transnational assistance and support measures, actions can include more specific measures directed for the benefit of TCN victims of trafficking, including, amongst others: education, language training, vocational training, apprenticeship programmes; job placement services, skills enhancement, workplace training and mentoring, and entrepreneurship training.
• Initiatives for setting up and improving transnational cooperation by facilitating exchanges of experiences and best practices among relevant actors, such as law enforcement, judiciary, immigration and asylum authorities, civil society organisations and other services, or international organisations for:
• The early identification, assistance, support of thirdcountry national victims of trafficking in human beings, for their integration, and within the context of their safe and assisted voluntary return when relevant;
• Facilitating and implementing durable solutions for child victims.
• Sharing and exchanging experiences, information, knowledge and best practices on integration of TCN victims of trafficking in human beings and disseminate the results.

Outcomes

Proposals should focus on contributing to the achievement of the following outcomes:

• Improved identification, situation and integration of TCN victims of trafficking in human beings in those contexts, e.g. cities/regions/rural areas, and high-risk sectors, such as agriculture and hospitality, addressed by the proposal;
• Improved transnational cooperation between local and regional authorities and civil society for the identification, integration, as well as voluntary and safe return of third-country national victims of trafficking and for finding durable solutions for child victims;
• Developing practical approaches, tools and guidelines, by building on results of past projects when relevant and appropriate.

Eligibility Criteria

• All EU Member States, with the exception of Denmark.
• For UK applicants: Please be aware that following the entry into force of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement on 1 February 2020 and in particular Articles 127(6), 137 and 138, the references to natural or legal persons residing or established in a Member State of the European Union are to be understood as including natural or legal persons residing or established in the United Kingdom. UK entities are therefore eligible to participate under this call.

For more information, visit European Commission.