Improve the identification of victims and their protection.

In order to detect trafficking in persons in its various forms and identify victims, the role of a wider range of stakeholders needs to be recognized. This would contribute to supporting the efforts of criminal Justice practitioners in addressing the crime and support in bringing assistance and providing protection to victims. In light of the growing trend of trafficking for forced labour, national authorities should provide labour inspectors and social workers with the tools and indicators to integrate trafficking as a serious threat to workers and refer suspicious cases to the appropriate services.

 Civil society organizations, NGOs and communities usually have privileged access to the population, especially the most vulnerable, and can play a pivotal role in building relationships with trafficking victims to support their difficult and often non-linear journey's out of trafficking. 

National authorities should protect and support their role, and put in place safeguards for staff of NGOs and the persons they assist against potential retaliation, including by introducing or reinforcing fundamental rights and enforce existing legislation concerning the use of violence and intimidation. 

At the same time, community members need practical and concrete information on what to do when in the presence of suspected cases of trafficking in persons. Information campaigns should aim at directing actionable information towards those members of the community who are most likely to interact with victims, in the most-affected areas, with an emphasis on the most prevalent forms and victims of trafficking locally. 

when proactive investigation is initiated by national authorities, more victims are identified, but many fail to adopt a victim-centred approach, hindering the participation of the victims in the prosecution and trial phases. The international community,national authorities and civil society organizations should partner in defining successful practices for proactive investigation, ensuring victims’ cooperation during criminal procedures. To build trust and encourage victims to come forward, anti-trafficking initiatives should provide victim and witness protection programmes that apply trauma-informed approaches and ensure dignified access to justice for survivors. They should also provide foreign victims with appropriate interpretation services.

 To prevent revictimization and contribute to successful re-integration, counter-trafficking institutions need to go beyond direct assistance and invest in a range of different services, long-term case management capacity and rehabilitation interventions, including helping victims to settle into a stable and safe environment, supporting mental and physical well-being, and providing opportunities for personal, social and economic development.