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A delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out an evaluation visit to Norway from 2 to 6 June 2025, as part of the fourth evaluation round of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

This new evaluation round of monitoring the implementation of the Convention focuses on vulnerabilities to human trafficking and measures taken by States Parties to prevent them, detect and support vulnerable victims, and punish the offenders. This includes a focus on the use of information and communication technology (ICT), which brings structural changes to the way offenders operate and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities.

Prior to the visit, the Norwegian authorities provided a reply to GRETA’s questionnaire for the fourth evaluation round. In addition to the new thematic focus, GRETA examined how the main recommendations made in its third evaluation report on Norway have been implemented.

During the visit, the GRETA delegation held consultations with relevant departments and subordinate agencies of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, including the Police Department, the Co-ordinating Unit for Victims of Trafficking (KOM), the Migration Department, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI), the Department of Crime Prevention, the National Police Directorate, the National Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS), the National Police Immigration Service (PU), and Oslo Police Department. Meetings were also held with the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (including the Labour and Welfare Administration, the National Labour Inspection Authority, and the Directorate of Integration and Diversity), the Ministry of Children and Families (including the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, and the National Guidance Unit for Cases of Trafficking in Children), the Ministry of Health and Care Services (including the Directorate of Health, the Norwegian Centre on Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Øst Regional Resource Centre for Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In Oslo, the delegation also met representatives of the Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA) and the Human Trafficking Support Oslo.

Furthermore, the GRETA delegation met with the representatives of the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution, which has recently been designated as national rapporteur on human trafficking.

In addition to holding meetings in Oslo, the delegation travelled to Bergen and Trondheim, where it met with representatives of the municipal social, health and child protection services, the anti-trafficking police units of the Vest and Trøndelag Police Districts, the Support Centres for Crime Victims, the regional offices of the Directorate of Immigration, and the inter-agency centre against work-related crimes (A-Krim) in Bergen.

The GRETA delegation held separate meetings with representatives of non-governmental organisations and trade unions, lawyers representing victims of trafficking, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In the course of the visit, GRETA’s delegation visited two shelters for victims of trafficking run by NGOs in Oslo, the Trandum Police Immigration Detention Centre, and the Vikhammer Asylum Centre in Trondheim.

The visit was carried out by Ms Antoaneta Vassileva, First Vice-President of GRETA, and Mr Thomas Ahlstrand, member of GRETA, who were accompanied by Ms Petya Nestorova, Executive Secretary of the Convention, and Ms Ebru Seylan of the Secretariat of the Convention.

Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the national authorities for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report which will be made public in 2026.