It is the State's obligation to ensure that victims of human trafficking receive assistance and protection, which is crucial not only to help them to escape their exploitation, but also to prevent re-victimization and repeated trafficking.
It is necessary for victims of trafficking to be able to exercise their rights effectively. Therefore, assistance and support must be made available to victims throughout criminal proceedings, and irrespective of their willingness to act as a witness.
In practice, victim assistance or social services are based on an individual needs assessment and victim centred approach, taking into account the circumstances, cultural context and needs of each individual person. In addition, the gender-specific phenomenon of trafficking and that women and men are often trafficked for different purposes, is taken into account. Therefore, gender-specific assistance and support measures are provided.
About this Section
This section outlines the support and protection provided to victims of human trafficking by the State.