The Spanish government proposes a bill to help migrants vulnerable to human trafficking

The Spanish government presented a new bill on Tuesday aimed at providing better protection to economically vulnerable migrants caught in the clutches of international human trafficking networks.

The proposed law is designed to help victims of different types of trafficking, from sexual exploitation and forced labor to the illegal sale of human organs, involuntary marriages and other criminal activities, the minister said of Spanish Justice, Pilar Llop.

Once a court confirms a person’s status as a potential victim, that person would receive free, personalized legal assistance, Llop said, along with the ability to seek financial and housing assistance. The bill would also create a new National Police watchdog office dedicated to victims of trafficking.

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Spain’s Interior Ministry says Spanish police freed more than 1,000 victims from human trafficking networks last year. The vast majority of victims of sexual exploitation were women from Colombia, Paraguay, Romania and Venezuela. Police also freed two Romanian girls from forced marriages.

The legislation would also allow potential victims to seek help without having to press charges against anyone allegedly involved in their trafficking. The provision aims to reduce fears of reprisals and calm concerns that migrants without permission to stay in Spain could face problems from immigration authorities.

“There is nothing more important than the protection of the most vulnerable people,” said Llop during a press conference in Madrid. “This is an ethical and democratic commitment of the first order.”

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The Minister of Justice of Spain, Pilar Llop, at a press conference at the Palau de la Moncloa, on November 29, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. Llop announced that a new bill has been proposed to help migrants who are at risk of human trafficking.
(Carlos Lujan/Europa Press via Getty Images)

The junior member of Spain’s leftist coalition government has criticized the bill as not going far enough. He wants all potential victims to receive permits to reside and work legally in Spain.

Llop acknowledged that the proposal would likely undergo modifications before the Spanish Parliament votes on it.

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The differing views among members of the governing coalition come amid a wide-ranging debate in Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s cabinet over a delayed transgender rights bill.