Handelsware Kind - Die Mafia der Menschenhändler

There are 25 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. After drug smuggling and arms trafficking, it is the third largest source of income for organized crime. Vietnamese children and young people have also been disappearing in Germany for years. Behind this are unscrupulous human traffickers. Their networks stretch across continents. The young Vietnamese are smuggled into Germany via Russia, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, but are also transported on to United Kingdom, for example. Quite a few die this way in hermetically sealed vans and trucks. Many end up in illegality as work slaves for the Vietnamese mafia, be it in nail studios or as workers for illegal indoor drug plantations. The documentary tries to fathom this network and questions the hesitant action of the German Federal Criminal Police Office.

Directed by Adrian Bartocha, Jan Wiese, Handelsware Kind - Die Mafia der Menschenhändler leans on a strong ensemble — Gregor Höppner, Debbie Beadle, Michael Bender — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2021.