In 2007, the European Union declared 18 October as the European Day for Anti-Trafficking. The main objective of the European Day is to raise awareness on the prevention of trafficking in human beings and to enhance the flow of information, knowledge and best practices between actors in the field.
Trafficking in human beings is one of the most complex violent crimes and poses many challenges to European countries, especially as this crime is characterised by the transnational activities of organized crime groups. According to the latest data, there were more than 14.000 registered victims in Europe in 2017-2018. It is likely that the actual number is much higher, as many victims remain unnoticed. In addition to the serious human and social damage, it is estimated that trafficking in human beings causes economic losses of up to €2.7 billion in EU Member States in a single year. The European Commission has developed an EU strategy for the period 2021-2025 to combat this phenomenon.
The Government of Hungary is also committed to fight against trafficking in human beings. In February 2020, Hungary adopted its National Anti-Trafficking Strategy 2020-2023, which is implemented through two two-year action plans. The new action plan is built around four pillars, following the model of the Strategy: prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership.
On the occasion of the Anti-Trafficking Day, the Ministry of Interior, co-organised with the Budapest Process and the European Migration Network, is holding a conference with representatives from more than 30 countries and international organisations in Budapest on 20-21 October.
The European Commission's website on human trafficking:
https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/internal-security/organised-crime-and-human-trafficking/together-against-trafficking-human-beings_en