During the last ten years, Georgia has established a strong mechanism of fighting human trafficking, which shows its correspondence to the European and international standards of human rights. By 2025, legislation and institutional changes have streamlined the anti-trafficking response of Georgia by adopting the amendments to the criminal code, identifying specific victim support strategies, and enhanced the cooperation of the enforcement and social agencies. The National Action Plan 2025-2026 in the country is based on the former ones, with survivor-centered principles and in compliance with the commitments of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
In spite of these achievements, there are still vulnerabilities in protection that weaken these initiatives. As prosecutions and convictions have been higher, there is still a problem in making sure that the victims are well-protected, compensated, and supported in the long run. Marginalized people subjected to labor exploitation are often migrant workers and have persistent barriers to the justice system such as irregular identification processes and lack of access to services provided by rehabilitation facilities.
Their legal system is admirable, experts caution, but it will not work without the institutional capability and political determination to deal with the underlying inequalities. According to the 2025 evaluation report, GRETA writes that the disparity between legislation and practice is still vast in terms of promoting sustainable reintegration and compensation to the victims.
Addressing the complexity of victim identification and service provision
Labor trafficking is a more dominant type of exploitation in Georgia specifically in the agricultural sector, construction sector and homes. Such instances can be very challenging to identify due to the fact that the victims operate in remote settings or in the informal sector. Law enforcers and social workers find it difficult to detect non-self-reported victims who are either scared of deportation, stigma, and suspicion of authorities.
Shelters and rehabilitation services, however, are focused in the large cities such as Tbilisi and Kutaisi, and thus they are underrepresented in rural and border areas. This geographical imbalance restricts the access of social and legal assistance programs. Also, the lack of specialized services to male victims and people with disabilities reflects the inequities in the system of victim support.
The migrant workers and the citizens of the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, which are not under the complete control of the Georgian government, are especially vulnerable. Absence of regular access to law enforcement and international control increases the risks of exploitation. These gaps are addressed by collaborative projects with the international organization of migration (IOM) and local NGOs, although logistical and political barriers continue to exist.
Victim compensation and judicial outcomes
The judicial systems in Georgia seeking to provide compensation to the victim remain below the international standards. Though traffickers have been convicted by the courts under the application of greater legal provision, the survivors rarely receive the restitution because of procedural flaws and non-judicial priority. The compensation order is rarely requested by the prosecutors, and victims do not always know their right to claim civil action in addition to criminal proceedings.
The GRETA 2025 report recommends Georgia to tighten its compensation mechanisms enforcement and train judges to use a trauma-informed approach. The adoption of the updated EU Anti-Trafficking Directive (2024) into the national legislation is likely to further the agenda by promoting the rights of victims, increasing the scope of liability to individuals who have knowingly used trafficked-derived services, and strengthening safeguards to children and those digitally exploited.
The proclamation of the government to complete convergence to the EU models is in line with the overlay of the Europeanisation plan in Georgia though, to achieve success in its implementation, more resources need to be allocated and institutional changes should be made in the long run.
Multi-stakeholder cooperation and the role of civil society
The system against trafficking in Georgia is based on the multi-stakeholder cooperation that brings together the government ministries, law enforcement, the NGOs, and the international partners. The civil society organizations cannot be ignored in victim identification, shelter, and legal and psychological assistance. Their direct participation fills very important gaps between state machinery and populations who are affected.
In order to simplify the coordination, Inter-Agency Council on Combating Trafficking in Persons controls the coherence of national policies, and the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) connects law enforcement to service providers. Regardless of these structures, the actors in the civil society still claim that they have funding deficits, inaccessibility to remote regions and bureaucratic stalling of victim identification.
The attempts to increase collaboration have involved the implementation of trauma-informed police training, labor inspectors, and social workers training. Survivor networks started playing a role in policymaking, which means that the experience should be the basis of procedural change. However, the issue of sustainability is also there since the dependency on external donor funding increases the vulnerability regarding continuity in terms of the sustainability of services.
Strengthening institutional trust and survivor engagement
The establishment of trust between authorities and victims is one of the focal points of enhancing the success of the identification and prosecution process. The survivors often show unwillingness to cooperate because of the fear of vengeance or doubt of the effectiveness of the justice system. Outreach programs that take place in the community and securing confidentiality measures are crucial in motivating participants to participate.
Also, data could be more transparent and accountable with the help of independent monitoring of shelters and case management processes. This is in line with some of the recommendations of UNODC and OSCE reports that advise Georgia to strengthen control over anti-trafficking institutions.
Geopolitical and economic factors influencing anti-trafficking effectiveness
The geopolitical environment of Georgia has a direct effect on capability to fight trafficking. Continuing tensions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia hinder regular security surveillance, whereas porous borders are used to migrate abnormally and may be exploited. Increased cases of trafficking associated with labor migration in the direction of Turkey and the Gulf states have also been reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is why it is necessary to enhance international cooperation.
International alliances with Interpol and local networks are growing to deal with such issues. Nevertheless, national statistics are blind spots due to security restrictions in occupied territories and lack of data collection and the ability to reach the victims.
Economic vulnerabilities and prevention strategies
One of the main causes of trafficking in Georgia is the socioeconomic disparities. The poverty of the rural population, the lack of jobs, and gender inequality perpetuate an environment in which people are easy targets of fraudulent recruitment offers. To solve these structural causes, anti-trafficking objectives should be incorporated in national development and employment policies.
One of the government efforts in 2025 has already started focusing on preventive education, vocational training, and digital awareness of at-risk youth. Although these programs are a good move, analysts believe that sustainable prevention requires more holistic social protection programs and equal economic progress in the regions.
Towards comprehensive victim protection and sustainable reform
The current development of the anti-trafficking in Georgia proves the solid legal and institutional background, however, it manifests the existing gaps between the official pledges and the actual security. To overcome these rifts, it is essential to move the prosecution-focused model to the victim-focused protectionist paradigm in which the rehabilitation, restitution, and empowerment of survivors become of utmost importance.
The issue of making sure that the reforms result in actual benefits to the victims rather than formal adherence to the requirements of the European Union is compounded by the fact that Georgia is moving towards greater compliance with the European Union standards. The future success of the anti-trafficking response in the state will be characterized by its cooperation with the civil society, incorporation of the survivor voices and growth of fair access to the services.
The country’s experience illustrates how combating human trafficking transcends criminal justice, intersecting with social policy, regional security, and economic governance. Georgia’s path forward will likely shape regional best practices, offering lessons on how nations navigating geopolitical and developmental complexities can close persistent protection gaps and reaffirm the centrality of human dignity in the global fight against trafficking.