Netherlands must do more to fight human trafficking: Council of Europe

The Netherlands must make more efforts to combat human trafficking. Experts from the Council of Europe, the organization behind the human rights court in Strasbourg, have analyzed the situation in the Netherlands in a comprehensive report.

Since the previous Council of Europe report from 2018, there have been fewer prosecutions and convictions in the Netherlands for human trafficking. The Council finds this worrying. The researchers also note that victims of human trafficking remain fearful of reporting to the police because they worry they will be prosecuted for other violations. Victims involved in organized crime, for example, fear being convicted of theft. The report makes recommendations on how to be more lenient in this regard so that victims find the courage to report traffickers.

The Council also asked the Netherlands to be more alert to victims of human trafficking staying in asylum seeker centers. They deserve medical and psychological care.

There have also been improvements since the previous analysis in 2018. Most Dutch municipalities have now developed policies on human trafficking, the Council of Europe notes with satisfaction. Victims, who usually do not speak Dutch, also often receive information in their own language.

The Netherlands remains an important destination for human traffickers. Victims mainly work in the sex industry but also in construction and forced crime. Between 2018 and 2022, there were at least 4,700 victims, of whom 60 percent were women, 30 percent were men, and 10 percent were children. According to aid organizations, the actual number of victims is many times higher. The victims mainly come from Nigeria and European countries like Poland, Romania, and Hungary.

In Strasbourg, the Netherlands committed itself to international agreements on human trafficking. The evaluation is to see whether the Netherlands is adhering to its own objectives.