THE HAGUE - The Coordination Center against Human Trafficking (CoMensha) received fewer reports of trafficking victims last year. According to the center, this is not because there was less human trafficking, but because the coronavirus measures made human trafficking less visible.

The restrictive measures caused a "serious hindrance" to the identification and assistance of victims, CoMensha said. For example, people worked from home more, so fewer checks were carried out. And that showed in the figures. Last year 1,013 new victims of human trafficking were reported, compared to 1,372 in 2019.

The majority of last year's victims were women and of age. Most victims were identified in the regular employment or service sector. "The coronavirus pandemic made the often poor living- and working conditions of migrant workers even more visible," CoMensha said.