Last week, Eurostat released its latest figures on human trafficking in the European Union, reflecting a gradual increase in the number of registered trafficked persons.
In 2023, 10,793 individuals were trafficked in the EU. This marks a continued upward trend, with the average number of registered victims rising from 8 per one million inhabitants in 2019–2020 to over 20 per million in 2022–2023.
The figures reflect global trends in the forms of exploitation reported. From 2008 to 2018, it accounted for 14% to 21% of cases of trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation, but this figure has grown, reaching 41% in recent years.
Eurostat includes other forms of exploitation, such as organ removal, benefit fraud, yet the report does not specify whether the data includes the forms of exploitation introduced under the revised EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, such as forced marriage, exploitation of surrogacy, and illegal adoption. Nevertheless, sexual exploitation remains the most reported form of human trafficking, representing 43.8% of all cases.
Following the increase in identified victims, there is also a parallel rise in the number of suspected and convicted human traffickers. From 2008 to 2020, convictions remained above 2,000, with a notable increase from 2021 onward, suggesting a heightened focus and response by national authorities to tackle trafficking in human beings.
Women and girls continue to represent the majority of trafficked persons (63.3%), although this share has decreased from nearly 80% in 2015. However, this shift is due to a relative increase in the number of male victims, rather than a decline in female victims.
There has also been a notable shift in the citizenship of trafficked persons. The share of non-EU citizens rose from 43% in 2019–2020 to 64.1% in 2023, while the proportion of EU citizens decreased from 53% to 35.9%
The data reveals that more and more migrants are being exploited, either from EU or non-EU countries. This highlights the urgent need for human rights-based migration policies. While migration regulations play a vital role in preventing human trafficking, they must be designed to provide safe and legal migration channels. Yet, regulation must not mean repression, securitisation, and criminalisation. Restrictive approaches often have the opposite effect, driving people into irregular migration routes, increasing criminality, and making migrants more vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking.
Read also: Fifth Report on Trafficking in Human Beings in the EU – La Strada International
Copyright: European Commission