The Czech authorities should strengthen their efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings, in particular as regards labour exploitation, improve the identification of victims, and take further action to prevent child trafficking, according to a new report by the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).
According to official statistics, 90 adult victims of trafficking were identified in 2019-2023. The majority were foreign nationals exploited in the sectors of construction, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, food processing and domestic work. There is no data available on child victims of trafficking.
The report welcomes positive developments since the publication of GRETA's first evaluation report on Czechia in 2020 as regards the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Czech authorities have amended the guidelines for the Programme for Support and Protection of Victims of Trafficking and passed new laws to combat exploitation and irregular work, among other measures.
Despite these measures, GRETA urges the Czech authorities to step up their efforts to prevent trafficking for labour exploitation, particularly through tighter supervision of recruitment agencies and the establishment of safe reporting and effective complaint mechanisms for workers, to ensure that victims in exploitative situations can refer their case without fear of repercussions.
Czechia urged to step up efforts to prevent human trafficking for labour exploitation
