BRUSSELS, 17th October, 2026 (WAM) -- Ahead of EU Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October, the European Commission on Friday set out a new strategy to combat trafficking in human beings. In 2023 and 2024, more than 20,000 victims were registered in the EU, a 16.1% increase, though many cases remain unseen. Trafficking takes many forms, including sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced criminality, begging and forced marriage.
The new strategy aims to fight this dynamic, focusing on six priorities: better use of technology to prevent and detect trafficking, working more closely with businesses and labour inspectors, stepping up action against organised crime, addressing risks linked to migration, improving preparedness in times of crisis, and strengthening support and protection for people at risk and victims.
Traffickers continue targeting people in vulnerable situations. Women and girls accounted for 63% of registered victims, mainly for sexual exploitation; children represented 15%; and men were the majority of victims trafficked for labour exploitation (74%).
To fight more efficiently the increase in trafficking, the EU must adapt its response. Ahead of EU Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October, the new strategy sets out six strategic pillars for a coordinated and future-proof approach: harnessing modern technology strengthening private sector engagement to reduce exploitation risks and improve early detection; disrupting transnational trafficking linked to organised crime; preventing exploitation linked to migration; enhancing prevention, preparedness and rapid response in crisis situations; and improving the protection of persons vulnerable to trafficking.