Examining trafficking statistics regarding Brazilian victims in Spain and Portugal

Despite a number of policy decisions being based upon the premise that there is a large flow of Brazilian trafficking victims to Spain and Portugal, existing statistics are not reliable enough to confirm this assertion. Due to a number of reasons, including problematic, incompatible and evolving definitions, as well as fragmented data gathering systems, the available human trafficking statistics about Brazilian trafficking victims in the Iberian Peninsula are internally and cross-comparatively inconsistent. The widely varying scenarios presented by the available numbers compromise the individual and collective responses to the phenomenon. Although a number of possible solutions can be proposed to improve the data collection, it is unlikely that the systems will change significantly as long as the figures being presented continue to support the agendas defended by the countries in question.