GRETA’s report on human trafficking response in the Netherlands marks progress and positive actions being taken to address the crime, including:
- Increased funding for police and prosecution services dealing with trafficking cases
- The creation of the Victim Identification Board, an independent multidisciplinary body tasked with the identification of victims of human trafficking
- The awareness-raising campaigns concerning trafficking for different forms of exploitation and the steps taken to strengthen cooperation in the field of labour migration
- Attention paid to victim compensation and many decisions by courts ordering perpetrators to pay compensation to victims of trafficking
However GRETA’s report marks the concern with the decreasing number of prosecutions and convictions for trafficking offences recently. Sexual exploitation is the most common driver of human trafficking within the Netherlands, however the number of prosecutions for sex trafficking halving over the last five years. It is suggested that Dutch authorities thoroughly investigate trafficking offences and ensure prosecution with ‘proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’, as well as ‘improve the identification of and assistance to child victims of trafficking’.