Victims originating in Europe

From 2002 to 2022, victims originating in Europe represent 34 per cent of victims in the dataset. 64 per cent of victims originating in Europe are female. Children represent 15 per cent, and another 42 per cent are adults aged 30 or older.

Victims originating in Europe are mainly exploited in Eastern (80%) and Southern (6%) Europe. Another five per cent are trafficked in West Asia. There are almost equal portions of victims trafficked for forced labour (50%) and sexual exploitation (49%). 52 per cent of victims of forced labour are exploited in construction, and another 29 per cent are exploited in agriculture, whereas victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly coerced into prostitution (89%).

Victims originating in Europe are mainly controlled with psychological, physical and sexual abuse, restrictions on finance, movements, medical care and necessities, debt bondage or withheld wages, accounting in each case about 60 per cent.^[1] 88 per cent of these victims are mainly recruited by ‘others’,^[2] and in 47 per cent of the cases, they are trafficked for a year or less. 

^[1] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[2] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.