39 countries recently participated in the EMPACT joint action days against human trafficking, resulting in the arrest of 219 individuals and the identification of over 1374 victims. Led by Austria, Europol, Frontex, and INTERPOL, the operation codenamed ‘GLOBAL CHAIN’ focused on disrupting criminal networks involved in sexual exploitation, forced criminality, and forced begging, with special attention to cases involving children.
The successful multidisciplinary approach involved cooperation on an international level to target threatening criminal networks such as mafia-type organizations and family-based groups. This year’s operation aimed to encourage collaborative efforts among authorities to tackle the heinous crime of human trafficking collectively.
Several national operations were conducted, including the arrest of a Hungarian couple for forcing their children into sex and begging, joint police checks in Austria targeting Hungarian sex workers, and the dismantling of criminal groups in Ukraine and Vietnam involved in various forms of exploitation.
These joint action days serve to highlight the importance of international cooperation in combating human trafficking and raising awareness about the issue.