Human trafficking is a crime based on the trade and subsequent exploitation of human beings. Victims are taken from their countries of origin using either violence or coercion, brought to Western countries and sold as slaves.  Many trafficking victims are kidnapped by international criminal groups; others are sold by their own families or duped with false promises of employment.

Trafficking is a criminal phenomenon linked to organizations in extensive networks that enjoy enormous profit from the exploitation of human beings. These organizations are involved in other illegal activities, such as trafficking in narcotics and arms.

According to UN estimates, and that of the International Organization for Migration, there are 4 million trafficking victims worldwide, 500,000 of which enter the Western European territory every year.

The number of victims is on a steady increase as is the number of victims from Central and Eastern European countries. Victims from CEE countries add to the already existent flows from Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean and Asia. Women and children are the most common victims of this contemporary form of slavery, which is based predominantly on sexual exploitation. Victims are deprived of their fundamental human rights, have no legal status and live in an environment of threats and maltreatment, reducing them to a state of absolute dependence on their captors.