The ability to detect potential victims of human trafficking among migrants and asylum seekers in Hungary has worsened, according to a new report published today, along with the Hungarian government’s reply, by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).
The report, based on a recent visit to transit zones located at the border between Hungary and Serbia, concludes that concerns raised in GRETA’s previous report on Hungary have been “magnified” by more restrictive legislation and measures on immigration and asylum. The GRETA delegation, which monitors compliance with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, to which Hungary is party, found that most staff working in transit zones could not provide a clear explanation as to what procedures would be followed or who were the competent authorities to take decisions on victim identification and referral.
