Human trafficking is getting worse as global crises leave more people vulnerable, and European experts say governments aren’t doing enough to stop it, according to the Council of Europe. The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has spent 15 years tracking trafficking across Europe and just released its 2024 findings. The group says conflicts, displacement, and economic hardship are creating perfect conditions for traffickers to exploit desperate people.
GRETA has made real progress over the past 15 years. In 2024 alone, the group visited 13 countries for evaluations and published 12 new country reports covering places like Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Finland. The monitoring work has led to better protection for trafficking victims and changes in national laws.
Major gaps remain across Europe. Some countries still lack basic plans to combat trafficking, don’t have ways to spot victims and get them help, or have nowhere safe for survivors to go. Governments frequently brush off GRETA’s recommendations—they claim they don’t have the budget, or trafficking isn’t high on their agenda, or politicians just don’t want to deal with it. The worst part is that trafficked kids get arrested and punished for crimes they were forced to commit, while labor trafficking keeps spreading.
“GRETA’s independent voice has helped change laws and lives – but human trafficking is far from defeated,” said Helga Gayer, GRETA’s President through 2024. As criminals find new ways to exploit people, she said anti-trafficking work must keep up with their changing tactics.
The report highlights three main challenges: protecting child trafficking victims who are wrongly punished for crimes they were forced to commit, stopping labour exploitation of migrant workers, and dealing with online trafficking that uses new technology. GRETA says countries need stronger labor inspections, better child protection systems, and investment in both human resources and tech tools to fight modern trafficking methods.
