During the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 13 December 2024, Member States agreed on a proposal aimed at bringing their criminal law closer together on issues such as the definition and sanctioning of migrant smuggling. The text will now be used by the Council in “trilogue” negotiations with the European Parliament.

In London, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium, in the presence of the European Commission and its agencies, Europol and Frontex, agreed on a five-point priority plan to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in 2025. Key priorities include targeting illicit financial flows that sustain smuggling networks and tackling organised crime groups' use of social media to recruit and advertise dangerous journeys across Europe and the Channel.

De nationale conferentie van EMN Finland voor 2024 onderzoekt de stand van zaken en de toekomstperspectieven van de situatie van Oekraïners in Finland en in EU-landen. De conferentie richt zich op de uitdagingen van integratie in een situatie waarin personen die tijdelijke bescherming genieten zich tussen twee landen bevinden. De conferentie probeert deze personen te ondersteunen in het spanningsveld tussen integratie en terugkeer.

A man suspected of running an operation that supplied small boats and engines to human smugglers who were active in Belgium and northern France was arrested in the Netherlands. The 44-year-old Turkish national faces extradition to Belgium to face charges of human smuggling in the context of the activities of a criminal organisation.

Eurostat heeft gegevens vrijgegeven over alleenstaande minderjarigen die tussen maart 2022 en september 2024 tijdelijke bescherming kregen in 21 EU-lidstaten en alle EFTA-landen. Oostenrijk, Nederland en Litouwen hebben in absolute termen de meeste statuten van tijdelijke bescherming verleend aan alleenstaande minderjarigen sinds maart 2022. België heeft in dezelfde periode tijdelijke bescherming verleend aan 1600 alleenstaande minderjarigen.

From 2014 to 2023, Esperanto provided shelter and support to 156 foreign minors victims of human trafficking and/or aggravated smuggling. According to Myria, who analysed the figures, just over half of these 156 young people were victims of sexual exploitation or were forced to commit criminal acts.

On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has warned of the increased risk of human trafficking created by restrictive immigration policies and failure to address the vulnerabilities of migrants and asylum seekers.

On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October 2024, PAG-ASA organizes the third Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Brussels. A series of events is planned from 14 October until 18 October to give the wider public the opportunity to learn about the issue, better understand its impact on victims, and gain insight into the Belgian protection procedure.

Before 8 October 2024, public bodies or a public or non-public implementing agency or body of a Member State can apply for funding and submit their proposal to support the implementation of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling and its call to action to strengthen international cooperation on preventing and responding to migrant smuggling.

The current weather conditions increase the risk that human smugglers will send groups of transmigrants, including small children, out to sea in overcrowded rubber boats, often with inadequate life jackets. To avoid this, the West Coast police zone and the Federal Police require special attention for people who cross the Channel from the Belgian coast to the United Kingdom in small boats.

Before 21 August 2024, public institutions, private non-profit and international organisations may submit an application to receive funding under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for a project strengthening the identification, assistance, support, and integration of third-country national victims of trafficking in human beings.

While not a new phenomenon, the exploitation of workers employed in the nail industry has gained increased attention in recent years. Multiple reports point to this sector as being a target of choice for human trafficking and economic exploitation.

An IOM-Harvard report shows that close to half of the child victims of trafficking were being trafficked for forced labour (mainly boys), in a wide range of industries, such as domestic work, begging and agriculture. Sexual exploitation, including through prostitution, pornography, and sexual servitude, is also prominent, affecting 20 per cent of trafficked children, predominantly girls.    

Tuesday 30 July is the International Day against Trafficking in Persons. On this occasion, the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor's office, together with the Labour Auditor's Office, invite as many people as possible to be vigilant and to report suspicious situations via the Belgian helpline for victims of human trafficking or via the new telephone number: 078/055.800.

Op 22 juli 2024 lanceerde de Minister van Justitie officieel de Blue Heart-campagne op het stadhuis van Antwerpen. EMN België was er bij, net als de lokale overheden, de drie gespecialiseerde centra voor slachtoffers van mensenhandel, Myria, de Sociale Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst en IOM. Omdat één op de drie slachtoffers van mensenhandel wereldwijd een kind is, focust de wereldwijde campagne dit jaar op versnelde actie om een einde te maken aan kinderhandel. 

Op 14 juli 2024 treedt de herziene EU-richtlijn ter bestrijding van mensenhandel in werking met strengere regels om mensenhandel tegen te gaan. De herziene richtlijn introduceert strengere strafbaarstellingen en biedt sterkere instrumenten voor overheidsinstanties om nieuwe vormen van uitbuiting, waaronder online uitbuiting, te onderzoeken en te vervolgen, en om betere hulp en ondersteuning aan slachtoffers te bieden.

De workshop zal de uitdagingen en beste praktijken belichten bij de toepassing van de richtlijn tijdelijke bescherming in Duitsland, Nederland en Litouwen. De deelnemers zullen ook toekomstscenario's bespreken om de bescherming van Oekraïners te blijven garanderen.

From 20 to 27 April 2024, Belgium participated, with 30 other countries, in the EMPACT Joint Action Days targeting human trafficking for labour exploitation purposes. The action resulted inter alia in 160 perpetrators and 334 potential victims identified and led to the arrest of 51 persons.