SEF identifies and supports six victims of human trafficking in the Algarve

The Service for Foreigners and Border Guards (SEF) identified and applied support and protection measures to six foreigners who were identified as victims of human trafficking in an operation carried out in the western Algarve, the service said.

The identification of these people as victims of the crime of human trafficking came after a week-long check carried out by the SEF in the westernmost part of Faro district aimed at “confirming the address of certain foreign nationals. “according to the place of residence,” the SEF said in a statement.

“It was found that six citizens were lured to their country of origin by the promise of a job in Portugal in agriculture, with the right of residence and subsequent legalization, paying for each immigrant 13,000 euros of the illegal immigration network.” , substantiated SEF.

The Aliens and Border Guard Service stressed that the information collected led to the conclusion that “these citizens had to resort to loans and assistance from family members in order to raise the necessary money” to pay elements of the illegal network responsible for the trip to Portugal.

When SEF inspectors began checking to confirm the address, “they found that 24 foreign nationals of Hindustani origin were living in the same house” and were alerted “to the vulnerable position of a group of five citizens who shared a room there.” , – said the security service.

The same source added that the inspectors found that “five citizens were in Portugal for four months on work visas” and confirmed “indications” that the men were “victims of human trafficking”.

A group of five immigrants were “sent to Faro, where the Planned Parenthood Association (APF) technicians, part of a specialized multidisciplinary team, interviewed them and marked them as victims”, who were “guaranteed assistance and protection”, the SEF assured. .

Subsequently, based on the testimony, the data obtained and the additional measures taken, the investigators were able to get to the “place of yesterday”. [sexta-feira]a sixth citizen under the same conditions”, who was also “probably marked as a victim” and received “proper humanitarian assistance”.

The researchers claim that these six immigrants, after arriving in Portugal, were “taken to the Algarve and placed in a room of an identified house” through an “additional payment” of “140 euros per month per mattress”.

The intended job “did not take place” and immigrants “were lured into buying employment contracts and paying their own contributions”, as well as those “from the employer to Social Security in order to be able to fulfill the formal conditions for legalization”. in Portugal,” supported the SEF.

When they failed to meet the demands placed on them, “they were left to fend for themselves, starting to live on the charity of other residents of the house,” he added.

“However, citizens were interrogated as witnesses, and all information was brought to the attention of the prosecutor’s office, and a criminal case was initiated on the fact of the crime of human trafficking,” the security service also said.