Dataharvest 2024 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

Wild berry pickers in search of a job are invited to Finland by the berry companies. But the pickers have to pay travel expenses themselves. They take out big loans to get to Finland, but they might earn less than a few dozen euros. Kenyan students are imported to Finland to study, especially healthcare. Students and their families are now caught in a debt trap, and left vulnerable to exploitation, and are possible victims of human trafficking. How do you find and tell their stories? How do you get in touch with workers controlled by their companies? How do you build confidence with the victims, who often live in closed communities and don't speak your language? How do you handle the police that might be investigating the same cases as you? And how do you tell these stories without endangering the people involved?
In this session, journalists will share their tips on how to investigate different faces of human trafficking that can probably also be found in your country.