Common Myths

Myth: Human trafficking and people smuggling is the same thing

There are important differences between human trafficking and people smuggling.

The principal difference is the element of exploitation.

People being smuggled as illegal migrants have usually consented to being smuggled. Trafficking victims have not consented, or the consent they did give is rendered meaningless by the actions of the traffickers, for example deception.

What happens to each of them at the end of their journey will be very different too, The relationship between an illegal migrant and a people smuggler is a commercial transaction which ends on completion of the journey, However for those who have been trafficked, the very purpose of the journey is to put them into a situation where they can be exploited on an ongoing basis for the sake of the traffickers’ profits. The journey is only the beginning.

It can nevertheless be difficult to distinguish between trafficking and smuggling scenarios for many reasons, including:

• People who begin as smuggled migrants may inadvertently become victims of trafficking, ie there is a change of circumstances at some point during the process;
• The same people acting as traffickers may also act as smugglers and use the same routes for both trafficking and smuggling;
• Conditions for smuggled persons may be so bad that it is difficult to believe that they consented to it.

Myth: You cannot be a victim of trafficking if you gave your consent to be moved

Someone becomes a victim of trafficking not only because of the journey they are forced to make but because of the exploitation to which they are exposed at the end of that journey, and to which they have not consented.

Any consent they do give to make the journey in the first place is likely to have been gained fraudulently, for example with the promise of a job or a better standard of living.

This is why the Palermo Protocol makes clear that human trafficking is about the three elements of movement, control and exploitation.

Myth: Trafficking only affects people from other countries

Whilst people smuggling always involves illegal border crossing and entry into another country, human trafficking for exploitation can happen within someone’s own country, including Britain.

Myth: Many trafficked women are already prostitutes

This is a common misconception. The majority of trafficking victims working as prostitutes will have been forced into it against their will, having already been trafficked without their consent, deceived into consenting to the journey, or deceived about the kind of work they would be doing at the end of the journey.