Bavarian Anti-Trafficking HELPline - Reporting suspected human trafficking

Why reporting is important

Human trafficking is often difficult to detect and frequently goes undetected. Every report helps to investigate leads, protect victims, and prevent further exploitation. Even if you are not sure whether your suspicions are correct, your information could be crucial. Your report will be treated confidentially and could help to initiate effective measures.

The online form can be used to submit a written report of suspected trafficking.

This allows you to report a suspicion or observation without providing any personal data and without coming into direct contact with the counselors.

The report will be processed by the Bavarian Anti-Trafficking HELPline team and forwarded as necessary. The report may be forwarded to authorities or counseling centers, for example, depending on the individual circumstances of the situation described.

Note:

If you would like to contact the police directly, you can find the nearest police station in your area using the Bavarian Police station search. Outside Bavaria, or if you would like to report information or file a criminal complaint online, the police online station offers this option.

Who is your report about?* *

about myself

about another person/several other persons

Here you can share additional information that you consider important:

Does the person concerned agree with your report to us? *

yes

No, but I still think it's necessary to report it.

Consent is unclear

the person concerned is not informed about the report

Reason for your notification despite the absence of a declaration of consent

Note: We recommend reporting the incident, especially with the person's consent. If the person does not consent, the police will only be informed in the event of imminent danger. You can find more information on this in the FAQ and under further information.

Does the person concerned want the police to be called? *

yes

unclear

Please describe your thoughts on the unclear situation as to whether the police should be called in.

Information on potentially affected persons

Name / nickname

(estimated) age

Note: in case of affected minors, please contact the ECPAT reporting centre.

spoken language(s)

country of origin

(possible) whereabouts

Physical description/distinguishing features/characteristic of the person

contact opportunities

Were there or are there any particular security concerns, e.g. threats against the person concerned or other persons? *

Note: In case of acute danger, please call the police emergency number on 110.

yes

not known

Please describe the security concerns you have observed in as much detail as possible.

Did the person concerned express a request for help? If so, to whom and how?

yes

unclear

hilfegesuchjadetails

Please explain why it is unclear whether a request for assistance has been made.

Does the person concerned want non-official support (e.g. from a specialist counselling centre) to be involved?

yes

unclear

Please explain why the question of whether non-official support is desired is unclear.

Information about (suspected) perpetrators

I have made the following observations about suspected perpetrators

I have the following information about suspected perpetrators (name, place of residence/whereabouts, contact details, other information)

URL

These are employers.

yes

Was a vehicle involved? *

yes

Here you can enter details about the context of the vehicle observation and the vehicle (e.g. make, colour, registration number, special features).

Information on (suspected) exploitation

What is the reason for the report? I suspect human trafficking for the purpose of the following form(s) of exploitation (Multiple selections possible) *

sexual exploitation

labour exploitation

Exploitation of surrogacy

Exploitation of begging activities

forced organ removal

exploitation of criminal acts

illegal adoption

forced marriage

other, namely

Note: Applicable indicators can be selected below.

What signs/indicators are there for this suspicion? Please describe your observations and impressions in as much detail as possible.

General possible signs of human trafficking and exploitation

Personal and social vulnerability

Belonging to a particularly vulnerable group (e.g. irregular residence/employment status, homelessness, ethnic minority, disability, poverty, part of a closed community with no contact with the outside world)

No/little knowledge of one's own rights, local laws or language

Coercion, control and violence

The person concerned is monitored, controlled (in person or digitally), accompanied everywhere, patronised, socially isolated.

Experiences coercion, duress, violence (physical, psychological, spiritual) or threats of violence against themselves or their loved ones

The person concerned is threatened with the publication/disclosure of information about them or with being reported to the authorities.

Mental and physical signs

Person appears to be under the influence of drugs

Fear or mistrust, especially towards authorities

Behaviour appears anxious, intimidated, restless, nervous, insecure, suspicious, avoids eye contact

Signs of psychological or sexual violence, visible injuries or malnutrition

Dependence on perpetrators (e.g. emotional, financial, spiritual, material)

Disorientation (e.g. no knowledge of whereabouts, own residential address)

Person appears to be instructed/as if someone has told them exactly what to say or do, or lets others answer when addressed

Living situation

Inappropriate or overcrowded accommodation

sleeping accommodation at the workplace

Person was misled about living, working or life conditions

Person is afraid of punishment if they leave the exploitative situation

Working conditions and exploitation

Compulsion to work, no or hardly any days off, extremely long working hours

No or hardly any wages

Person may not dispose of money themselves

The person has to pay off large debts (e.g. for travel, accommodation, agency fees).

Control by employers over basic necessities such as food, hygiene and medical care

Documents and legal status

Important documents were taken from the person or are forged.

Fear of deportation or disclosure of residence status

Compelled lies to authorities

Supplementary information on the selected indicators

Sexual exploitation

Coercion, control, violence

Person is threatened, abused

Violence against family members (physical violence or threats thereof)

Threat to inform family or acquaintances about the activity

Threat of (even) worse working conditions

Threat of reporting to the authorities

Constant supervision by third parties

Tattoos used for identification by exploiters

Exploitation of cultural or religious beliefs (e.g. voodoo, juju) to exert pressure

Pregnant woman is forced to have an abortion and is accompanied by a person who communicates with the medical staff.

labour exploitation

Employment contract and documents

No (written) employment contract

The person does not know or understand the contents of the employment contract (e.g. due to a lack of language skills or cognitive barriers).

Contract replacement upon commencement of employment (e.g. new contract with less favourable terms)

Deception or deliberate provision of false/unclear information (e.g. about working conditions, wages, housing situation and legal status)

No payslips or receipts

No work permit

Illegal employment

Personal documents are confiscated or retained

wages

Wages are withheld, paid late or not paid at all

Excessive deductions from salary (e.g. for accommodation, equipment or agency fees)

Payment in kind instead of money

No compensation or remuneration for overtime

Manipulation of wages or unclear calculation

Wages are paid to third parties or transferred to accounts that cannot be accessed by the persons concerned.

working conditions

Excessive working hours or working days without breaks

Working in hazardous, arduous or unhealthy conditions without adequate protective equipment

No social security (e.g. health or accident insurance)

No possibility to finish work at one's own discretion or to leave the workplace

Employment in the low-wage sector (especially agriculture, construction, catering, care, cleaning, transport, the meat industry or the service sector)

accommodation

Poor, overcrowded or unhygienic accommodation

No freedom to choose accommodation, heavy dependence on employer

Accommodation and sleeping quarters at the workplace (e.g. in storage rooms)

Personal situation

Language barriers and lack of social networks

Irregular migration status

Exploitation of personal, family or economic vulnerabilities

Threats against the person concerned or their family

Debt bondage or working off advance payments

Coercion and control

No right to co-determination regarding the nature of work activities

Compulsion to tolerate violations of the law or misconduct on the part of the employer

Threat of legal action or even worse working and living conditions in the event of rule violations or resistance

Control and violence towards the affected person

Exploitation of begging activities

Coercion and control

Compulsion to beg (possibly due to cultural, ethnic or religious practices)

Revenue must be paid to third parties

Monitoring during begging activities

The person will be punished if they do not bring in enough money.

The person lives together with members of the group.

Potential characteristics of affected persons

Vulnerable people (e.g. children, elderly people or migrants with physical disabilities or mutilations) beg in public places.

The person lives in unacceptable circumstances.

Children of the same nationality or ethnicity in large groups with few adults

Minors living with adults who are not their parents

Adults or minors who are regularly caught shoplifting

Persons who display infirmities or disabilities even under unreasonable conditions (e.g. extreme cold)

Additional features

People move around in large groups and are taken together to specific locations to beg (e.g. on trains, at stations or in public places).

Larger groups of children with the same adult guardian

Participation in activities of organised criminal networks

Evidence of travel through multiple countries or previous begging activities in other countries

New increase in begging in certain locations/regions

Exploitation of criminal acts

Coercion and control

Forced participation in illegal activities (e.g. theft, robbery, extortion or fraud such as financial or identity fraud, smuggling of migrants, production/smuggling/sale of drugs)

Abuse of cultural, ethnic or religious practices to justify exploitation

Forced social benefit fraud

Compulsory sale of illegal items

Forced marriage with third-country nationals for their residence status

Monitoring other exploited persons on behalf of the exploiters

Penalty for non-compliance with requirements

Illegal activities committed are used as leverage

Potential characteristics of affected persons

Minors who possess or sell drugs

Persons with physical impairments that indicate deliberate mutilation

Unaccompanied minors who were allegedly ‘found’ by adults of the same origin

Groups of minors with the same (alleged) guardian

Minors living in households with unrelated adults

Regularly caught shoplifting, both adults and minors

Additional features/characteristics

Group movements on public transport (e.g. conspicuous pacing up and down trains)

Participation in activities organised by criminal gangs, whereby voluntary participation is often difficult to discern

Travelling through several countries in larger groups

forced marriage

(social) environment of the affected person

Parents or relatives exert strong pressure on the person regarding their choice of partner (as a partner has already been chosen).

Person is heavily controlled or monitored by their family (e.g. restriction of freedom of movement, monitoring of mobile phone or social media)

Applying pressure by threatening loss of family ‘honour’ in case of resistance

Prohibition of relationships outside the family or community (e.g. social status, origin, religious beliefs)

Sudden trip abroad (often with the aim of getting married)

Threats, blackmail and/or violence, including murder, in response to resistance to marriage plans

A family member of the person has already been forced into marriage in the past.

Compulsion towards heteronormativity and lack of acceptance of other sexual orientations and identities

Dress code and not allowed to wear make-up

Illegal adoption

Exploitation of surrogacy

Medical signs

Compulsion to undergo egg retrieval or in vitro fertilisation (IVF)

Forced abortion (surgical or medical)

Secret or illegal medical procedures, often in private clinics

No freedom of movement, no control over nutrition, medical care or physical activity

forced organ removal

Compulsion to donate an organ or stem cells

Promises/deception regarding financial benefits in connection with organ removal

Lack of knowledge about the details of a medical visa

Recruitment under the pretext of illness and allegedly necessary treatment

Abduction followed by medical intervention to remove organs without the knowledge of the person concerned

Abuse of adoption for subsequent illegal organ removal

Compulsion to settle (personal/family) debts by selling organs

Medical signs

Uninformed consent to organ removal

Compulsory stem cell collection

Secret or illegal medical procedures, often in private clinics

No freedom of movement, no control over nutrition, medical care or physical activity

Use of organs for witchcraft, religious rituals or unauthorised medical practices

When and where did you observe the suspected exploitation?*

place *

date *

approximate time *

Street name, house number

alternative description of the location

Further details

What support has already been sought? Who is aware of the case (e.g. authorities, counselling centres, other individuals)?

What other information could be important?

in case of questions *

The Bavarian Anti-Trafficking HELPline may contact me at the following email address/telephone number (Contact by telephone will be made with a suppressed number. Please let us know the best times of day to reach you or if there are any other special considerations to be taken into account.)

May an authority (e.g. the police) contact me at (e-mail address/telephone number)?

I do not wish to be contacted.

E-Mail-Adresse

Telefonnummer

Information about our privacy policy *

This form contains sensitive information, even if it is not necessarily personal data. The Bavarian Anti-Trafficking HELPline is aware of this and asks for your consent to send this form by email and store it in order to process the data in accordance with your specifications. You can revoke this consent at any time without giving reasons. Further information can be found in our Privacy Policy.

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