In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) welcomes the progress made by Switzerland, but also asks the Swiss authorities to take further action to improve the identification and protection of victims of trafficking.
GRETA notes that progress has been made since its first report on Switzerland in 2015, including the adoption of the second National Action Plan to Fight Human Trafficking (2017-2020), training for officials, and the launch of campaigns to raise awareness among the public and medical staff. Another positive development is the increase in the number of places in shelters providing specialised assistance to victims of trafficking, including men. There has also been an increase in the number of victims granted State compensation and in the number of criminal investigations for human trafficking.
GRETA recommends, however, that Switzerland ensure that a formalised victim identification procedure is put in place in all cantons, so that victims of trafficking can benefit from the appropriate assistance and protection. It also calls on the authorities to step up the proactive identification of victims of trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation, by reinforcing the capacity and training of labour inspectors and involving trade unions and other relevant actors in the work of the cantonal roundtables on human trafficking.
