The act of human trafficking is one of the worst that the 21st century has witnessed, and millions of people have been victims. A thorough system against human trafficking, victim protection, and criminal prosecution has been in place since 2008 thanks to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. At the heart of this scheme lies the implementation of the Convention and how States Parties carry out their duties to fulfill the Convention; that is why grouping the implementation of the Convention is the Committee of the Parties, which provides a check on the effectiveness of States Parties in regard to the Convention.
The 36th meeting of the Committee of the Parties in June 2025 restated the paramount role of cooperation, monitoring, and political commitment towards the war against trafficking. This review examines the activities of the Committee, more recent activities, and the challenges faced, as well as the way forward towards enhancing the position of Europe towards human trafficking.
One year ago, I wrote to @RepBrianMast alerting him to the evidence that UN “migration” agencies and NGOs — and the relief they provide under the heading of “humanitarian assistance” — incentivized and facilitated illegal mass migration.
— Kimberly “Kim” Wexler MA JD (@KimWexlerMAJD) April 25, 2025
The House Foreign Affairs Committee took… pic.twitter.com/XUhx1cnt5s
The Council of Europe Convention: A Comprehensive Framework
Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. It is in the form of a legally binding instrument which has been ratified by 48 States, composed of the 46 members of the Council of Europe, Belarus, and Israel. It is human rights-based, victim-centered, gender mainstreaming, and child-sensitive in terms of policy. The Convention deals with any trafficking such as prostitution, exploitation of labour, organ harvesting, and child and vulnerable groups.
Some important provisions obligate States to:
- Put in place or reinforce national coordination mechanisms.
- Enact whole-scale prevention and victim shelter, and persecution policies.
- Encourage international collaboration and the participation of civil society and NGOs.
The Committee of the Parties: Oversight and Cooperation
The political organ that monitors how the Convention has been implemented by the States that are Parties is the Committee of the Parties. It discusses reports and recommendations of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), which performs independent monitoring of the Convention.
GRETA’s Role and Composition
GRETA consists of 10 to 15 independent experts with multidisciplinary skills who oversee compliance by means of country visits, assessment reports, and thematic studies. It carries out meetings three times a year and gives an autonomous evaluation of legislative and practical endeavors.
Committee’s Functions
- Reviews the reports of GRETA and takes recommendations.
- Urges States to give effect to the findings of GRETA by using follow-up measures.
- Facilitates the collaboration between States, civil society, and international organizations.
- Other duties include the provision of support to capacity-building projects and awareness-raising initiatives.
Key Outcomes of the 36th Meeting (June 2025)
The 36th meeting highlighted:
- The role of continued political dedication and resource commitment in order to fight trafficking successfully.
- The necessity of consolidating victim support, such as special shelters, legal help, and psychosocial support.
- How and why all of this needs to be addressed to enhance data collection and data sharing to improve our knowledge of trends of trafficking and inform policy.
- Encouragement of gender-sensitive/child-rights-based measures incorporated in every anti-trafficking measure.
- Increased collaboration with civil society and non-governmental organizations is the key partner in victim reinforcement and prevention.
Recent Developments and Challenges in Europe
Progress and Gaps
The latest reports issued by GRETA, such as assessments on Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova in 2025, offer insights into the legislative changes as well as the services of victim support. There are, nevertheless, issues:
- Challenges are fighting around the identification of victims and access to justice.
- A low number of traffickers are prosecuted and convicted.
- Heightened exploitation of online technology usage by traffickers.
- New types that involve organized crime and/or conflict regions, like the trafficking involved in the war in Ukraine.
EU Strategy Alignment
The work of the Committee is consistent with the EU Strategy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025), which is devoted to:
- Damping demand, which encourages trafficking.
- Disrupting the trafficker criminal business model.
- Empowering and safeguarding the victim, more so women and children.
- Enhancing international relations and action.
These measures are supported by the recent amendment of the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive (July 2024) that includes a better set of rules concerning investigation, prosecution, and assistance to the victims.
The Human Rights-Based, Victim-Centered Approach
The Convention and the Committee underline the idea that all measures should be taken with consideration of the rights and dignity of the victims:
- Re-victimization of victims should be avoided, and they should be entitled to legal remedies.
- The vulnerable groups, such as children and migrants, are given special attention.
- Gender mainstreaming will make the policies concerned adapt to the needs of women and girls, as the majority of the people controlled by trafficking in Europe are female.
- Partnership with NGOs and civil society to assist the victims and advocate is very important.
Strengthening International Cooperation
Obtaining trafficking is a transnational problem that needs coordinated efforts:
- The Committee encourages collaborations between States and civil society as well as international organizations.
- It promotes special networks and cross-border mechanisms of cooperation.
- The Council of Europe supports capacity-building projects to assist the States in carrying out the recommendations made by GRETA.
- The Committee promotes best practices and lessons learned in order to increase collective impact.
The Path Forward: Priorities for 2025 and Beyond
- Strengthen Bow and Stretch Resources
Governments are obliged to provide prolonged efforts that fund their work to cover the victims, train law enforcers, and provide preventive initiatives.
- Better Identification and Assistance of Victims
Referral systems should be designed, and the frontliners should be trained to make sure that the victims are promptly assisted.
- Tech-Assisted and Online Trafficking
It is becoming important to modify the legal systems and police operations that can help combat digital exploitation.
- Boost Information Gathering and Study
Evidence-based policies rely on consistent information and assist in tracking improvements.
- Advocate for Gender and Child-Sensitive Policies
The different groups of victims have particular vulnerabilities and needs that are known through tailored strategies.
- Magnify International and Regional Cooperation
International cooperation is important in an effort to destroy trafficking networks and save victims.
The 36th session of the Committee of the Parties emphasized the role of cooperation, monitoring, and political commitment in the struggle against human trafficking as a necessary one. The Committee enhances collective efforts in the fight against this complex crime by managing the work of GRETA, encouraging collaboration, and reinforcing a victim-oriented approach to the development of policies. The new challenges, including online exploitation and displacement due to violence, could pose daunting tasks to the Committee that has been acting very closely and leadership to ensure that human dignity and justice are upheld across the continent.