The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) is the European regional institute in the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention programme network. HEUNI functions under the auspices of the Finnish Ministry of Justice as an independent research and policy-making institute.

HEUNI aims at a fair and just world by advancing humane and rational criminal justice policies and systems in the European region, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

HEUNI is a bold front-runner in creating and sharing uncompromised knowledge on the prevention of crime within the framework of criminal justice. We engage policymakers, practitioners and researchers in frank discussions to tackle current problems. We develop innovative and action-oriented solutions to advance the rights of those affected by crime.

HEUNI has a new strategy for the years 2020-2023. The strategy updates, revises and strengthens HEUNI’s operations to suit the demands of the 21st century. While the strategy identifies several core areas of work, it also aims to strengthen HEUNI’s operations and working methods in order to produce increasingly cutting-edge results.

Areas of focus

  1. 1.

    Improving access to justice and the the quality of services for vulnerable victims of crime.

    Access to justice Criminal justice Victim assistance Victims of crime
  2. 2.

    Strengthening the understanding of and the responses to economic crime and corporate crime.

    Corruption Economic crime Labour exploitation
  3. 3.

    Identifying a new area of research in line with global crime threats and megatrends.

    SDG UN
  4. 4.

    Strengthening the the criminal justice responses to, including identification of human trafficking and similar crimes (such as forced marriage, exploitation of children and young people, labour exploitation).

    Exploitation of adolescents and children Human trafficking Labour exploitation
  5. 5.

    Enhancing the skills of businesses and public procurement agencies to identify and prevent exploitation in supply chains.

    Economic crime Human trafficking Labour exploitation Victims of crime
  6. 6.

    Strengthening the role of HEUNI in implementing the priorities of the United Nations visà-vis the prevention of crime and crime control.

    Access to justice SDG UN

Current projects

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Recent publications

Published in 2022

Report Series № 100a: Step Forward - A tool for developing an organisational strategy to provide victim-centred support for migrant women victims of gender-based violence

Authors
Inka Lilja, Anni Lietonen, Julia Korkman
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Published in 2022

Policy brief 2/2022: ”You hear my concern and help me think of solutions”

Authors
Julia Korkman, Inka Lilja
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Published in 2022

Report Series № 96b: From Exploitation to Fair Employment. Report on the organisation of employment services to victims of trafficking in Finland

Authors
Anniina Jokinen, Anna-Greta Pekkarinen, Veikko Mäkelä, Saija Korkeakangas, Natalia Ollus, Roosa Näsi
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Published in 2022

Report Series № 99a: Katsaus työperäisen ihmiskaupan vastaisen toiminnan kehitykseen Suomessa

Authors
Anniina Jokinen, Natalia Ollus, Anna-Greta Pekkarinen
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Published in 2022

HEUNI Annual Report 2021

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Published in 2022

Policy Brief 1/2022: Residence permits on humanitarian grounds – A means of protection for migrant victims of trafficking in the EU

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More publications

Latest news

16.11.2022 | News from partners | News item | Human trafficking | Labour exploitation | Economic crime

HEUNI koulutti Espoon kaupungin henkilöstöä työperäisen hyväksikäytön ja ihmiskaupan tunnistamisesta

Kesäkuussa ja lokakuussa järjestetyt koulutukset käsittelivät työperäisen hyväksikäytön ja ihmiskaupan riskejä, ennaltaehkäisyä sekä tunnistamista. Koulutuksen kohderyhmiä olivat sekä...

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14.11.2022 | Event | News item | Human trafficking | Labour exploitation | Gender-based violence | Access to justice | Victims of crime | SDG | Criminal justice

15.11.2022 HEUNI Day. Perspectives on the future: migration flows, globalisation, rational and humane criminal policy and beyond

The session celebrates HEUNI's 40th anniversary through a dialogue with government actors, civil society, academia and the private sector.

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09.11.2022 | News from partners | News item | Labour exploitation | Economic crime

HEUNI trained professionals of City of Espoo on identifying labour exploitation and human trafficking

The trainings in June and October addressed the risks, prevention and identification of exploitation and human trafficking. The target groups for the trainings were personnel who conduct audits and...

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19.09.2022 | News from partners | News item | UN

In memoriam: Gary Hill 1939 – 2022

Our dear friend and colleague Gary Hill passed away on 18 September 2022. To those who knew him, Gary Hill was an irrepressible force of nature. His ebullient nature would fill the room when he...

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07.09.2022 | Blog | News item

Julia Korkman: SARAH – helping women victims of gender-based violence

I took over as the new coordinator of the EU-funded SARAH project in January 2022, after HEUNI’s senior programme officer Inka Lilja, who planned the project together with the partners and...

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