PSOE proposes tougher punishment for trafficking offenses arising from Ukraine war

The PSOE wants to amend the Criminal Code to toughen the punishment for human trafficking committed in the context of the Ukraine war. The Socialist Group is set to register a bill this Wednesday that includes an aggravating circumstance in the punishment of this type of crime committed against the victims of war conflict. The idea is that the modification has an 18-month validity period after the norm enters into force after approval in Cortes, where they intend to consider the initiative immediately, although its adoption cannot be discussed until at least the end of April.

The Socialists, who are taking the initiative alone without participating in the United We Can Congress, are proposing an amendment to Article 177 bis of the Criminal Code, which would provide for five to eight years in prison for convicts. Human trafficking taking place in the territory of Spain. The draft law envisages the inclusion among the aggravating factors of the highest degree of punishment (imprisonment for eight years and one day up to twelve years) in cases when “the victim is a person whose vulnerability is caused or aggravated. “Armed conflict motivated by the invasion of the territory of Ukraine by the troops of the Russian Federation, which began on February 24, 2022.”

The text of the text, accessed by elDiario.es, refers to the “humanitarian catastrophe with catastrophic consequences for millions of Ukrainian refugees across Europe” left by the Russian invasion. “These people, who have had to leave the country in horrific conditions because of this bloody armed conflict, are exposed to extreme vulnerabilities, especially IDPs, girls and boys in front of human traffickers who have already been identified under surveillance. “These people,” the proposal reads. “In these circumstances, it is advisable to approve a criminal proposal with a temporary measure, which would conveniently increase the sentences for human trafficking,” concludes the text, which is also based on a European directive calling for “severe penalties for trafficking.”

Addressing the Congress after the speech of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Pedro Sanchez paid special attention to the protection of refugees who have arrived in European countries or are internally displaced inside Ukraine. “This is undoubtedly a colossal tragedy. Ukraine can be confident that Spain will fulfill its duty, as Spain always responds to similar challenges and therefore we will allocate the necessary resources to receive Ukrainian refugees in our country before it is needed. We are already doing this in the four centers we are building in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Alicante, then Malaga, which will open this week and which we are going to continue. “It will be released in the next few months,” Sanchez promised.

Socialist sources argue that the situation in Ukraine justifies temporary punishment modifications to increase the guarantees of war-torn women, boys and girls. The PSOE leadership made this proposal to United We Can, which chose to co-register it, according to the same sources.

The comprehensive trafficking law, which the government intends to pass this year, is becoming a new source of conflict in the coalition after the Ministry of Justice announced it was launching its drafting procedures, and the department headed by Irene Montero was already moving forward. Project. The 2022 Regulatory Annual Plan assigns this organic standard to the Ministry of Equality with the participation of Justice, Home Affairs and Inclusion, Social Security and Migration as co-partners. However, the intention of the Socialists is for Pilar Lop to take over most of the proposal, while Irene Montero will discuss issues of equality. In the background is the conflict between the PSOE and other formations that support the government in abolishing prostitution.