The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published its latest general report, covering developments in 2024 and marking 15 years of sustained efforts to combat human trafficking in Europe and beyond.
In 2024, GRETA organised country evaluation visits to 13 States Parties to the Convention. It published 12 new country evaluation reports (concerning Andorra, Aruba/Kingdom of the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Türkiye). In addition, round-table meetings were organised in 10 other countries as a follow-up to previous GRETA reports.
An important highlight of 2024 was the adoption by GRETA of a Guidance Note on the recovery and reflection period, provided for in Article 13 of the Convention, which is an essential step in protecting and assisting victims of trafficking.
GRETA’s annual report includes a chapter summarising the results of 15 years of monitoring of the implementation of the Convention, which outlines the progress made and pinpoints remaining challenges. The monitoring work has triggered many positive changes, which result in greater protection of the rights of victims of human trafficking.
However, the report highlights that numerous challenges remain. Some countries still lack national action plans for combating human trafficking, formal national referral mechanisms for victims of trafficking or specialised shelters. Implementation of GRETA’s recommendations is uneven, often hindered by limited resources, insufficient prioritisation or lack of political will.
GRETA warns that multiple overlapping global crises – including conflict, displacement and economic hardship – are increasing vulnerabilities to human trafficking. Restrictive immigration policies, insufficient legal pathways for migration, and barriers to accessing the labour market exacerbate the risk of exploitation, especially for asylum seekers and displaced persons.
Key challenges highlighted in the report include:
Gaps in the identification and protection of child victims of trafficking, who are frequently treated as offenders and punished for illegal activities. GRETA stresses the need to reinforce child protection systems and integrate anti-trafficking measures into humanitarian responses.
Trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation is a growing threat. GRETA urges states to strengthen the protection of the labour and social rights of migrant workers and labour inspections.
Online-facilitated trafficking presents new challenges in the identification, investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases. GRETA stresses that it is therefore essential to invest in human capital and technological tools to harness the potential of technology for effectively combating human trafficking.
“GRETA’s independent voice has helped change laws and lives – but human trafficking is far from defeated. As traffickers adapt, so must we. In the face of growing and evolving threats, we need stronger political commitment and concrete action more than ever,” stated Helga Gayer, President of GRETA until the end of 2024.
