The international dimension of trafficking in human beings has gained increasing prominence at the EU level in recent years. The 2021–2025 EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings recognises that trafficking is a global and transnational crime, with many victims coming from non-EU countries (notably Africa, the Western Balkans and Asia), and often linked to mixed migration flows and migrant smuggling. The strategy, therefore, seeks to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that the EU’s external actions fully reflect its anti-trafficking priorities.

This study, which specifically looks at policies and measures put in place to address this international dimension of trafficking in human beings, shows inter alia that:

• EMN Member and Observer Countries have implemented a range of policy measures to tackle the international dimension of trafficking in human beings. Prioritised thematic areas include crime prevention, victim protection, law enforcement coordination, and prosecution of perpetrators.
   
• Most countries addressed the international dimension as part of broader anti-trafficking strategies, interlinking policies with migration, asylum, border management, and organised crime efforts. Although no country has a dedicated policy exclusively focused on the international dimension of trafficking in human beings, many countries have integrated human trafficking responses within existing national strategies.
   
• Most EMN Member Countries have funded or implemented measures addressing trafficking in human beings in third countries of origin and transit of (potential) victims. Targeted regions include the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Measures target a wide range of actors, including victims (the main target group), frontline actors, local communities and national authorities of third countries, and were often implemented in cooperation with international organisations (primarily IOM).
   
• Most EMN Member and Observer Countries have also implemented different measures specifically addressing trafficking in human beings of third-country nationals in their territories. Most of the measures target third-country nationals in general (e.g. refugees, asylum seekers, migrants in transit, seasonal workers, etc.) rather than specific nationalities.
   
• In third countries, key challenges linked to the prevention of trafficking in human beings related to cultural differences, cross-border cooperation and awareness raising amongst vulnerable groups. Regarding law enforcement and judicial responses, most challenges were linked to differences in legislation or difficulties in cooperation and communication with relevant authorities. On the identification and protection of victims, limited training of protection staff, dysfunctional referral mechanisms, and low levels of trust among victims in authorities were singled out as key challenges. In Europe, EMN Member and Observer Countries, in addition to several of the above challenges, reported the growing role of the online dimension of trafficking in human beings.
   
• Internationally, several EMN Member and Observer Countries singled out awareness-raising campaigns and cooperation with third countries and CSOs as good practices to prevent trafficking in human beings. Countries also praised the deployment of police liaison officers in third countries and support from EU Agencies to support judicial and law enforcement response. Key good practices in identifying and supporting victims in third countries included cooperation with NGOs and stakeholder capacity-building activities. In EMN Member and Observer Countries, good practices included, among others, mentoring and training of law enforcement authorities, the establishment of specialised law enforcement units or victim assistance, support and referral systems and the organisation of capacity building activities for key stakeholders.
   
• EMN Member and Observer Countries identified specific aspects in need of strengthening when addressing the international dimension of trafficking in human beings. To better support the identification and protection of victims, countries stressed the need to enhance financial investigations connected to trafficking in human beings, to further concentrate on the digital space and to invest more resources to address trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. Others noted the need to reinforce cooperation with certain third countries or develop the capacities of relevant authorities.

For further information, please refer to the study attached above. For a more concise overview, see the Inform or the Flash on the same topic. If you wish to learn more about the state of play and current practices in Belgium, please read the Belgian contribution to the study.