UNCHAINED: TENDER

Click here to download the documentation concerning the acquisition of software and hardware for the European Project UNCHAINED.

ISFP-2019-AG-THB
UNCHAINED
Disrupting the Human Trafficking Chain through a Follow-the-Money Approach
Context of the action

The complex nature of crimes related to illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings has meant that efforts to counter it frequently fail to address the issue. Existing approaches largely target components of the trafficking chain individually and do not address THB compared to other forms of Organized Crime.

UNCHAINED understands these complex phenomenon as polycrimes (multi-crime process) which need to be seen in a broader context of international crime. Therefore, by investigating the business models behind these crimes, its relationship to other ‘common’ crimes, the range of actors and decision makers involved and their modi operandi can be exposed and prevented also through multi-sectoral investigative tools, training and improved cooperation between public and private actors, MSs and third countries.

The project will build upon the holistic approach adopted by the EU funded FLOW project (2018-2020), in the light of the OSCE 2019 Report “Following the Money” which adopts a follow-the-money approach to tackling human trafficking in wider way. This will enable a more specific investigative strategy, using innovative software for big data analysis, and more targeted training to adress the widespread impunity underlying every link in the human trafficking chain.

Basically, by focusing on financial footprints and less on victim testimony, the follow-the-money approach helps to protect the rights and needs of victims without compromising the outcome of operations.

General objective

The proposed action improves LEA’s ability to use tools as financial investigation (FI), big data analytics and virtual reality multiplayer serious game-based training.
UNCHAINED will make Financial Investigation a standard in the fight against THB, supporting its implementation at an early investigative stage (labor or sexual exploitation, drug smuggling, etc.), the analysis of existing EU tools and cross-border and interdisciplinary cooperation.
Trainees are recruited from two target groups: 1. selected LEAs and 2. private companies & public authorities to identify suspicious financial activity.
Skills acquired through the LEA training will be tested through serious virtual reality multiplayer game, based on real cases, allowing law enforcement officials to apply their skills interactively from different physical locations, while receiving expert feedback. Responding to the dynamic nature of the criminal process, the scenarios simulated can be easily adapted, allowing participants to prepare for diverse scenarios with minimal infrastructure and cost.
Training for private businesses and public authorities will focus on identifying suspicious financial assets and standardized reporting procedures for close cooperation with LEAs. Crucially, training for this second group will reach a large number of interdisciplinary and international beneficiaries using VR boxes, exploiting the learning potential of VR with minimum costs and equipment.