The European Parliament will revise its rules to expand actions to prevent victims of human trafficking. This vote by the MEPS from April 2024 was an overwhelming majority with 563 voting in favour of the amendment and 17 abstaining, which will update the directive from 2011, which regards the prevention of trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims of sex trafficking and forced labour. Under the new amendment the EU’s actions will broaden to include the criminalisation of forced marriage, illegal adoption, and the exploitation of surrogacy. Furthermore, amendments outline: 

• Increased coordination between anti-trafficking and asylum authorities
• Criminalisation of services of trafficked victim, where the user is aware of the exploitation
• Penalties for companies convicted of trafficking
• Increased support to victims
• Protecting victims of trafficking who have been forced into criminality. The amendment ensures that prosecutors are able to choose not to prosecute victims for criminal acts they were coerced into committing. 

For more information on this amendment, see the Amending Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.