Trafficking in human beings

What is trafficking in human beings?

Definition of trafficking in human beings in section 133 of the Estonian Penal Code:

Placing a person, for the purpose of gaining economic benefits or without it, in a situation where he or she is forced to marry, work under unusual conditions, engage in prostitution, beg, commit a criminal offence or perform other disagreeable duties.

Keeping a person in such situation, if such act is performed through deprivation of liberty, violence, deceit, threatening to cause damage, by taking advantage of dependence on another person, helpless or vulnerable situation of the person is also punishable.

A vulnerable situation is defined in the Estonian Penal Code as a situation where a person lacks an actual or acceptable opportunity not to commit any of the acts.

The nature of the crimes of trafficking in human beings is also explained in this video clip.

Assistance in case of suspected trafficking in human beings

The central contact point for services for victims of trafficking in human beings is the Victim Support Department of the Social Insurance Board.

• Information hotline concerning trafficking in human beings: +372 6607320, 24-hour line if needed: 116006.

Assistance is provided free of charge in Estonian, Russian, and English. Legal and social counselling and assistance to the victims are also available.

If you need shelter, you can also contact the Human Trafficking Helpline.

More information can be found on the website of the Social Insurance Board in Estonian here and in Russian here.

For advice, you can write to [email protected].

 International co-operation projects

The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs is out two human trafficking prevention projects between 2023 and 2029. Both initiatives are funded by the EU Internal Security Fund (ISF), with a total budget of €994,521.

Project "alert helpers! - Building collaborative capacity for identification and assistance of thb victims in estonia"

Target groups: The project raises awareness and professionalism in the criminal justice, labour, health, social, child protection, youth work services and education in the local and state level, but as well addresses practitioners from the private and third sector through businesses of maintenance, hospitality, translation and counselling services and also volunteers who are also working with persons in need and with youngsters.

Main objective of this project is to improve the competence and skills of officials, volunteers and other notifiers in state and local level in order to increase the level of identification of possible victims overall in Estonia. Reaching this objective consists of two stems of activities: 1) activities related to training and networking and 2) activities related to composing a self-learning e-training course and other training materials.

project "Prevention of serious undercover crime"

Target groups: Law enforcement officers, upper secondary school students, general public

This project focuses on educating Estonian upper secondary school students about human trafficking, strengthening the competencies of law enforcement officers in investigating trafficking cases, and raising awareness among foreign workers arriving in Estonia about their labour rights. Prevention activities include campaigns, social media outreach, and other information initiatives.

In 2015 Ministry of Justice participated in international project VISUP (Improving Victim Support During Criminal Proceeding: Anti-Trafficking Training for Criminal Justice System Practitioners). Here You can find a training materials of the project and information booklets for the victims. Project partners were Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Bulgaria. 

Training materials for criminal justice system professionals

Booklets For victims of human trafficking