New OSCE Survey Report: Rising identification of human trafficking victims reflects improved detection, yet implementation gaps and a digital divide remain

VIENNA, 23 March 2026 — The OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings launched the 2026 Survey Report today. The report is the most comprehensive assessment of anti-trafficking efforts across the OSCE region to date. 

From 2021 to 2024, participating States reported approximately 102,000 trafficking victims, close to 30,000 in 2024 only. These figures reflect both improved detection capacities and the expanding scope of a rapidly evolving crime. 

“The numbers we report are only the tip of the iceberg — what States detected and reported to us; they remind us of how much still lies beneath, and of how urgently our laws, policies, and practices must keep pace with traffickers,” said Kari Johnstone, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

Human impact

The report shows labour exploitation is currently the most prevalent form of trafficking in the region, accounting for 32% of all cases, compared with 21% for sexual exploitation. 

Forced criminality is revealed as one of the fastest-growing forms of human trafficking and accounts for a further 17% of identified victims. Cases involving multiple purposes account for 15%, reflecting an increase in traffickers exploiting the same victims for multiple forms of the crime.

Women, girls, and children remain the most vulnerable to trafficking. Yet the report underscores critical gaps for males, LGBTQ+ individuals, and non-national male children, who are frequently left underserved by existing support systems.

Main policy findings

Legislative progress in the region over the survey period has been significant. In 2025, 98% of participating States reported having established provisions for presumed victims — a jump from 75% in 2016. Simultaneously, laws requiring private companies to perform human rights due diligence have tripled. 

Yet, a persistent "implementation gap" separates legislative ambition and written policies from practical enforcement. For instance, in child protection, formal institutional frameworks are at an all-time high while on-the-ground preventive measures are in decline.

This gap is reflected in critically low conviction rates despite rising case numbers, with financial investigations systematically underutilized. Traffickers are increasingly leveraging encrypted tools and artificial intelligence, creating a widening digital divide between criminal networks and law enforcement. 

In a positive development, survivor feedback mechanisms have tripled since 2021, offering new levers for evaluating the real-world effectiveness of anti-trafficking policies; yet NGOs report these are inconsistently used in practice and remain largely ad hoc.

“The data tells a story of genuine progress in some areas, but also of a sector struggling to translate commitments into outcomes. The sharp rise in online sexual exploitation cases, from just 9 investigations in 2021 to 1,665 in 2025, is a sobering illustration of how quickly the crime evolves and how urgently our response must follow,” said Dorothea Czarnecki, lead researcher of the survey.

The survey was launched with an event featuring close to 300 attendees, both in person and online, and panelists from Albania, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings assists OSCE participating States in implementing their commitments to combat human trafficking. The Office conducts research, provides technical assistance, promotes policy dialogue, and supports the development of victim-centred, rights-based approaches across the 57-State OSCE region.