On Tuesday, 28 January, the Cabinet of Ministers (CM) took note of the information report of the Ministry of the Interior On the Implementation of the Human Trafficking Prevention Plan 2021–2023, which presents the progress achieved, challenges and future tasks in the field of prevention of human trafficking.
Of the 31 actions in the plan, 22 have been completed, four have been partially completed and assessed, and five have been assessed as not completed. Overall, the implementation of the plan has been successful. The Plan is divided into four main areas: prevention, to raise public awareness and understanding, emphasising that human trafficking is a social problem; protection, to improve the identification of victims of trafficking and to ensure effective assistance and protection; prosecution, to strengthen efforts to prosecute those involved in the commission of trafficking offences; cooperation, to strengthen cooperation and exchange of information with partners in Latvia and abroad, as only coordinated and joint inter-agency action can help prevent human trafficking.
Key achievements in the fight against human trafficking:
- Awareness-raising campaigns and educational activities have been successfully organised, involving the general public and specific risk groups;
- Information materials in several languages have been produced and distributed, raising awareness among different groups of society concerning the risks of human trafficking;
- Law enforcement authorities, social services and NGOs actively cooperated in identifying and supporting victims;
- A series of training sessions have been completed for various professionals, including law enforcement authorities, prosecutors and judges.
- In 2021–2023, 111 victims of human trafficking were identified, 95 of whom were Latvian nationals.
The main challenges in the area of prevention of human trafficking are related to the lack of consensus on the development of a common regulatory framework to strengthen the cooperation of first contact points in identifying human trafficking and referring the victims for support.
In some cases, it is necessary to extend the social rehabilitation service for the victims of human trafficking. The current 180-day service is sometimes insufficient.
Highlighting the next steps to prevent human trafficking, the next planning period should focus on implementing the recommendations made by the Council of Europe, GRETA, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the US State Department. It is also expected that the requirements of European Council Directive (EU) 2024/1712 will be implemented in the Latvian regulatory framework by July 2026.
The next key challenges are therefore:
- Strengthen the legal framework for the national referral mechanism or cooperation to ensure that a potential victim of human trafficking is quickly and appropriately referred for support;
- Reviewing the duration of social rehabilitation services, extending it in at least some cases;
- Strengthening the capacity of first contact points to recognise human trafficking cases.
- Amendments to the Criminal Law to broaden the definition of human trafficking and to penalise the use of services provided by a trafficked person.
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department
kn@iem.gov.lv
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department
kn@iem.gov.lv