37% of the thousands of victims of human trafficking recorded in the EU each year are EU citizens who fall victim to sexual exploitation, labor exploitation and forced criminality.
Trafficking in human beings is a high-profit crime. The annual worldwide profit that traffickers make is estimated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) at $236 billion. In the European Union, 55 of the most dangerous criminal networks are engaged in human trafficking.
Yet, trafficking in human beings remains a hidden, invisible crime. This is why it is key to raise awareness and shine a light on trafficking in human beings and on the exploitation of children, women and men. EU Anti-Trafficking Day is an opportunity to raise our voices and increase the exchange of information, knowledge and best practices amongst the different actors working in the field to better protect victims and tackle human trafficking.
Caritas Cyprus is committed to working to combat human trafficking and to supporting victim-survivors. Locally it does so by being an active member of the growing network of organizations and experts committed to the issue across the island and by trying to complement the work of the responsible authorities.
