The situation report on trafficking in human beings is, above all, drawn up for practical police usage. It depicts and assesses developments in quantitative and qualitative terms. Its main objective is to develop approaches for crime suppression methods for the police.
The data published in the annual report on trafficking in human beings are based on information obtained from police investigations conducted in 2004 into suspected trafficking in human beings as specified in sections 180 b (trafficking in human beings) and 181 (aggravated trafficking in human beings) of the German Penal Code. As of 2003, this also includes offences committed to the detriment of German nationals.
Since the situation reports' figures on victims and suspects are sometimes interpreted in strongly differing, heavily simplified and even partly incorrect ways, we would like to make some general remarks before going into details.