In its 2024 report published on Friday 6 June, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) highlights the many challenges that remain in a context where multiple global crises are combining to increase vulnerability.
“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”, says GRETA.
Among the challenges, the report points to shortcomings in the identification and protection of trafficked children, who are often treated as criminals, the increase in trafficking for labour exploitation and the new situation introduced by online trafficking, which poses unprecedented difficulties in terms of detection, investigation and prosecution.
GRETA is therefore calling on governments to respond by investing in human capital and technological tools.
The Maltese Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is organising a high-level conference in Rabat on 11 June on how technology and AI can advance the fight against human trafficking.
This is “far from defeated”, declared Helga Gayer, President of GRETA until the end of 2024.
“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”.
Link to the GRETA report: https://aeur.eu/f/h7s (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)