Labour Directorate Wants To Help Fight Human Trafficking

Most cases of human trafficking this year have involved foreign labourers, and the response from officials has been swift.

Vísir reports that of the 20 individuals the police have identified this past year as being victims of human trafficking, most of them have been foreign workers. In many cases, they were misled about the work they would be doing in Iceland, had their passports taken from them upon arrival, and were denied their pay.

The police are troubled by the trend, and have formed a special human trafficking task force to deal with the issue. At the same time, the Directorate of Labour also wants to take part in the fight.

Gissur Pétursson, the director of the Directorate of Labour, told reporters that the news did not surprise him, given the rise in demand for workers in the construction fields.

“[The police] are those who are most often on the scene [for supervisory purposes], apart from maybe the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, and special committees within labour unions,” he said. “But [supervision] would be that which is most important.”