18% Increase in Identified Trafficking Victims in Europe

EU States Slow to Respond to Trafficking

The European Commission recently reported that thousands of people are falling victim to human traffickers every year in the European Union but most member states have failed to implement tougher new laws agreed by the bloc to address the problem.  In releasing the first report on trafficking in human beings in Europe on Monday 15th April Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, said “In our free and democratic EU, 23,600 human beings are deprived of their liberty.”  The report, Trafficking in human beings, indicates that the number of people being trafficked in and to the EU increased by 18% from 2008 to 2010, but less traffickers end up behind bars, since convictions decreased by 13% over the same period.  Down load a copy of the report here.

The European Commission has also published an overview of the rights of the victims of trafficking in human being to provide clear, user-friendly information on the labour, social, residence and compensation rights individuals are entitled to under EU law.  Click here to down a copy of this publication.