Human trafficking victims in Portugal: Perceptions of service providers

Abstract

This study aims to explore the perceptions of service providers in Portugal, specifically regarding (i) how victims of human trafficking are aided; (ii) the victims’ needs and their understanding of the “condition of special vulnerability”; and (iii) the opinions of service providers on the obstacles victims face in seeking and receiving assistance. According to our research, most organizations offered assistance, ranging from legal aid to food and lodging, to victims of all ages, genders, and forms of exploitation. Participants recognized that the needs of human trafficking victims differ from those of victims of other crimes, such as domestic abuse survivors, particularly in terms of the unique challenges they face in rebuilding trust. They also identified challenges in delivering assistance, including insufficient financial resources, inadequate interinstitutional cooperation, and the victims’ lack of cooperation. Fear of traffickers along with feelings of humiliation, embarrassment, and fear of reprisal against themselves or their families were cited as major reasons why victims refuse assistance.

Keywords

Human trafficking / Victims / Service providers / Perceptions

Acknowledgments

None.

Funding

This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho; it was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (UIDB/PSI/01662/2020).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Ângela Fernandes

Investigation: Ângela Fernandes

Methodology: Ângela Fernandes, Marlene Matos

Formal analysis: Ângela Fernandes, Marlene Matos

Writing—original draft: Ângela Fernandes

Writing—review & editing: Ângela Fernandes, Marlene Matos

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This dissertation was approved by the Ethics Subcommittee for Social and Human Sciences under the code SECSH 038/2016. Its job is to supervise and uphold the development of moral behavior and to guarantee the honesty, decency, integrity, and morality of experiments and research in the social and human sciences carried out in the University of Minho research units. The human participants’ consent was obtained in writing digitally, and all participants consented to participate in this study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data

Not applicable.

Further disclosure

The paper has been uploaded to or deposited in a preprint server (RepositoriUM: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/75963).

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