Finland's paid student programs create vulnerable group, expert warns

Finland is creating a population vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking by admitting students from outside the European Union into paid, English-language programs, warns Venla Roth, a doctor of law and coordinator for the government's anti-human trafficking efforts.

Students arriving from countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan often fall into debt due to tuition fees costing thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of euros. They desperately seek work in Finland but are ineligible for study or housing assistance. Reports indicate that some entrepreneurs in the restaurant, forestry, and wellness sectors have exploited these students. Roth receives constant messages about this group from authorities, welfare regions, educational institutions, organizations, and the church.

Student women seeking work or housing have faced sexual violence, and families from Asia and Africa live without funds in shared, unfurnished apartments. Roth acknowledges the good intentions behind increasing education-based immigration, boosting Finland's vitality and meeting future labor demands. However, she stresses a significant failure in risk management. "One of the risks is exploitation and human trafficking. We see it in labor migration. We will increasingly see the risks materialize in education-based immigration as well, unless measures are taken to prevent exploitation," Roth stated.

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One of the risks is exploitation and human trafficking. We see it in labor migration. We will increasingly see the risks materialize in education-based immigration as well, unless measures are taken to prevent exploitation.

"It is important to understand that for those who are indebted and come from countries with a completely different standard of living, it is not necessarily best that they can come to Finland," Roth said. "They bear too great individual risks, and we as a society do not offer them sufficient safety nets when things go wrong."

Thousands of students paying tuition fees have enrolled in Finnish universities of applied sciences annually in recent years. The Finnish Border Guard is investigating a case where hundreds of individuals from Myanmar were lured to Finland for vocational studies, suspected of aggravated extortion. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment also notes that the challenges faced by international students in Finland are often linked to recruitment practices.

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It is important to understand that for those who are indebted and come from countries with a completely different standard of living, it is not necessarily best that they can come to Finland. They bear too great individual risks, and we as a society do not offer them sufficient safety nets when things go wrong.