The 2024 annual report on trafficking in and smuggling of human beings, published by Myria, focuses on the exploitation of sex workers from Latin America. The victims are mainly women, including trans women, from Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, recruited to work in prostitution in Europe. They fall into the hands of transnational organised criminal networks which move these women from one city to another (hence the reference to "carousels") to stay out of sight of the authorities and further increase their dependence on exploiters, making it more difficult for the police to detect them. Myria wants to encourage, among others, front-line services — and the police in particular — to pay attention to this, to detect and identify victims. Since the proceeds from this exploitation are often sent abroad to invest in real estate and companies, Myria also calls for more international collaboration and information sharing to dismantle these international criminal networks and reveal their financial flows.

Myria underlines that Internet platforms and social networks play a major role in the organisation of sex work in general, and in particular among Latin American sex workers. The Federal Migration Centre, therefore, advocates for strengthening the police's capacities and its means of investigation to adapt to the new digital context of exploitation. Collaborations, including between sex ad platforms and the police, should be developed to improve the detection of victims, the identification of perpetrators and the collection of evidence.

In addition, Myria's report also describes the key developments in the European and Belgian legal framework on trafficking and smuggling. It examines numerous cases of sexual and economic exploitation and reviews the case law from 2023 and early 2024. Numerous data and external contributions, including on the reception of minors who are victims of trafficking or smuggling, complete this report.

For further information, please read the annual report in French or in Dutch above. You can also read the press releases in French or in Dutch.