What is trafficking for forced criminality?

By Katie Nguyen LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A growing number of people across Europe are being trafficked and forced to commit crimes, including cannabis cultivation, drug smuggling, fraud and sham marriages, a report said on Tuesday. The study by Anti-Slavery International and other rights groups was based on interviews with police officers, lawyers, officials and campaigners, freedom of information requests and media reports. It depicts the many ways trafficked people are being exploited by their traffickers. What crimes are victims being forced to commit? Drug Cultivation – Victims are forced to cultivate illegal drugs. In Europe this is often cannabis. * Drug Smuggling – Victims are forced to smuggle illegaldrugs, often across borders and on their person. * Drug Dealing – Victims are forced to sell illegal drugs. * Petty Crime and Theft – Victims are forced to steal andcommit petty crime, including but not limited to; ATM theft andfraud, metal theft, shoplifting, car theft and burglaries. * Benefit Fraud – This is where fraudulent benefit claimsare made in a victim's name, the trafficker or other personreceives the benefits. This is commonly done in conjunction withother types of exploitation. * Pickpocketing – Victims are forced to pickpocket on thestreets of major European cities. * Sham Marriage – In these cases, a victim, usually female,is coerced, sometimes kidnapped and transported against herwill, and forced to marry someone from a non-EU country for thepurposes of obtaining EU residence. * Forced Begging – Begging is not illegal in all Europeancountries, but forcing someone to beg for the profit of a thirdparty is. * Metal Theft – Victims are forced to scavenge and stealmetal which is then sold by the traffickers for profit. (Sources: The RACE project in Europe; Anti-Slavery International) (Reporting by Katie Nguyen; Editing by Tim Pearce)