Uk Keep Ban Asylum Seekers Claiming Modern Slavery Protections 2025 01 30
Reuters3 days
Report: EU Funds Linked to Modern Slave Trade in North Africa
story
Above: Migrants attempt to board a smuggler's inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on Ecault beach in Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, near Neufchatel-Hardelot, northern France, on Oct. 30, 2024. Image copyright: Sameer Al-Doumy/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
A comprehensive investigation by several humanitarian organizations — including Border Forensics and On Borders — has accused the EU of "complicity" in the trafficking of migrants in Tunisia, where they are allegedly sold to Libyan gangs for prices ranging from £10 to £75 (US$12 to $93). Women are sold at higher prices due to sexual exploitation.
The report details a systematic operation in which Tunisian security forces round up migrants from coastal cities, detain them in facilities, and then sell them to Libyan militia members, with payments made in money, fuel, or hashish. It alleges this operation is being "enabled" by the EU's agreements with Tunisia aimed at tightening control over migration.
Since 2017, Italy has invested approximately £62.8M (US$78M) in training and equipping Tunisian border guards, resulting in a 59% reduction in Mediterranean crossings from North Africa to Italy.
The Spin
Left narrative
European governments, most notably in the UK, are perpetuating modern slave trades by refusing to accept asylum seekers. Laws on what they falsely describe as illegal immigration are denying these vulnerable individuals essential protections, effectively endorsing their exploitation for political gain. This hypocrisy undermines national and international laws.
Right narrative
The issue isn't that enforcement pushes migrants to smugglers; it's that liberal policies fail to deter migration. Deportations have proven effective in the US, and Europe's growing demand for strict policies reflects public sentiment. Labour's focus on smugglers without addressing migrant deterrence is inadequate. Modern-day slave traders are only successful if they have a clear destination they can point to when rounding up migrants to smuggle.
Cynical narrative
While politicians bicker over whose policies are to blame for modern-day slavery, history suggests that intelligence agencies have been entangled in such activities for decades. Thoroughly investigated books and reports have highlighted the CIA's past connections to drug trafficking, which often accompanies human trafficking. Though no one wishes it to be true, these practices could still persist, concealed by classified information and compartmentalized operations.
