Europe

GEOGRAPHY OF PROBLEM:

Trafficking in human beings is global – almost every country is an origin, transit or destination country – sometimes all three.

• Most trafficking is national or regional, though long-distance trafficking (between continents) exists.

• The EU is primarily a destination region – for victims from across the world. Trafficking into the EU appears to have increased in recent years, particularly through and from Russia, Ukraine, and central/south-eastern Europe. Victims are also recruited in EU countries and trafficked either internally or to other countries, inside or outside the EU.

In Europe

In 2005/2006, 51% of human trafficking victims detected in Europe were from the Balkans or the former Soviet Union, in particular Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova. But this appears to be changing, as women trafficked from other parts of the world are becoming more prominent.