The difficulty with all forms of human trafficking is that the crimes are often only uncovered through police control measures. Experts assume that the number of unreported cases is high and criticize the lack of working structures and resources in criminal prosecution and victim protection.

Law enforcement is difficult and complex. Crime victims are indispensable as important witnesses in court. But they are rarely willing or able to file reports themselves and cooperate with law enforcement authorities. This means that exploitation and coercion often cannot be combated and those affected remain in their predicament and do not defend themselves.

The reasons for this are diverse:

- Those affected see no economic alternatives for themselves and have no opportunities on the regular job market

-Dependence on perpetrators

-Fear of revenge from the perpetrators, which can also threaten one's own children in the country of origin and other family members

-Distrust of the police and justice system

-Traumatization of the victim may make it impossible to testify at trial

-Fear of deportation - but returning to the country of origin is not an option. They and their families have often become heavily indebted to pay for migration and human traffickers. In addition, they do not want to disappoint family expectations and return as failures.

Source: FIM, Frauenrecht ist Menschenrecht  (Womens rights are human rights)