Human trafficking reports on the rise in the Netherlands; Especially more child victims

The number of reports of human trafficking in the Netherlands increased again last year, the National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence against Children reported. There were particularly more reports of child victims of criminal exploitation and victims of labor exploitation.

Last year, 944 victims of human trafficking were reported, up from 868 in 2023. The increase in the number of victims cannot generally be seen as positive, but it is also “not necessarily negative,” National Rapporteur Conny Rijken said.

“We now have more people in our sights and can therefore help more people,” she said, according to NOS. “We know that there are approximately 5,000 victims of human trafficking in total. We’ve been saying that for years. This may also be an underestimate.”

The Rapporteur called the increase in children falling victim to criminal exploitation striking. These include teenagers recruited to smuggle drugs or retrieve trafficked drugs from containers in the port of Rotterdam, for example. It also includes children placing explosives or making their bank accounts available for criminal purposes.

“We don’t know exactly what kind of young people these are, but they are certainly susceptible to the attractive promises of these kinds of networks. They’re looking to make a quick buck.” About 80 percent of these children are Dutch, she said.

Among victims of labor exploitation, the National Rapporteur noticed an increase in Ukrainian victims. They’re vulnerable because they are fleeing a protracted war and are uncertain about their future in the Netherlands. “It’s serious that they are becoming victims, but it’s positive that they are being identified by the authorities, so that interventions can be implemented that address this vulnerability,” Rijken said.

Rijken is also concerned about Latin American victims of sexual exploitation, a group that’s been difficult to identify. “We’re seeing another increase in this group. People from countries like Venezuela or Colombia want to leave those countries and are vulnerable to offers that seem too good to be true.” In search of a better life, they fall prey to human traffickers. “In the Netherlands, we often see them being exploited in hotels or vacation homes.” The victims are moved to a different location every few days, “which means the local community and the police don’t have any insight into this.”

Reports are increasing, but the number of police investigations into sexual exploitation is declining. Last year, the police launched 142 investigations, down from 170 in 2023. That is a “worrying development,” Rijken said. “The figures don’t show it, but we’re hearing disturbing signals from the police that they’re experiencing capacity constraints, causing cases to be shelved.”