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 released today 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. The government also broadened the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Combating Trafficking to include the State Labour Inspection Office. It has made efforts in collaboration with NGOs and international bodies to provide more comprehensive training for professionals on human trafficking. GRETA also welcomes the existence of specialised investigators assigned to human trafficking cases within the National Centre for Combating Organised Crime and a national correspondent for combating human trafficking within the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office.
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.
GRETA also calls on the authorities to establish a formal procedure for identifying trafficking victims which follows a multi-disciplinary approach and involves specialised NGOs, labour inspectors and health professionals. The identification of victims of trafficking should not depend on the initiation of criminal proceedings.
Furthermore, GRETA calls for additional measures to prevent child trafficking and strengthen the proactive identification of child victims, including amongst unaccompanied children and children in institutional care. In addition, they should carry out awareness-raising campaigns to prevent child trafficking and address the roots of the risks faced by vulnerable children.
Moreover, GRETA urges the Czech authorities to take measures to strengthen the criminal justice response to human trafficking and ensure that investigations lead to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.
The collection of data on human trafficking also needs to be significantly improved. GRETA recommends that the authorities maintain a coherent system to gather data on trafficking victims, to have a more precise insights into the trafficking landscape and enhance efforts to protect victims.
The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) is an independent body which monitors the way countries implement the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. All 46 member states of the Council of Europe are bound by the Convention, as well as non-member states Belarus and Israel.