Ministry: 37 Human-trafficking Victims Identified in Slovakia So Far This Year

Bratislava, 25 October (TASR) - A total of 37 victims of human-trafficking were identified in Slovakia between January and the end of September, with the majority of them (26) being women, Interior Ministry spokesman Matej Neumann has told TASR in connection with the recent European Day against Human-trafficking (18 October). The youngest victim was eight years-old, and the oldest was 68. One case involved combined exploitation in Slovakia and Austria. The victims were mostly Slovak nationals, while five were foreigners - citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Nepal. "We've been observing a significant increase in the number of identified child victims since 2023. Children account for more than 62 percent of the total number of people identified so far this year," noted Neumann. The majority of the cases involved prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation (23 in total, including 18 children). Seven victims were exploited for their labour, including one eight-year-old child, while seven victims were forced to beg, including four children. One person was exploited for slavery or slavery-like practices. "We're increasingly uncovering child victims of human-trafficking. Children should never be exploited - neither for sexual services, nor for forced labour or crime. Despite this, it is happening, which is very worrying," warned Interior Ministry State Secretary Lucia Kurilovska, who concurrently serves as the national coordinator of the fight against human-trafficking. On the occasion of the European Day against Human Trafficking, the Interior Ministry has called on the public to be attentive to possible cases of exploitation in their surroundings. According to the ministry, motions can be reported via the National Helpline for Victims of Human-trafficking, which operates non-stop and is free of charge. A total of 364 people were charged in 153 human-trafficking cases between 2015 and 2024. The police have registered ten perpetrators of human-trafficking so far this year, five men and five women, three of whom were minors. ko/df