On the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July, Terre des hommes (Tdh) reaffirms its commitment to protecting children and youth from trafficking and exploitation, and to ensuring sustainable, dignified reintegration for survivors.
Across Europe, many children and young people, particularly those who are unaccompanied, on the move, or living in vulnerable conditions, remain at high risk of being trafficked. Tdh has led multiple interventions to prevent trafficking and support survivors, with a strong focus on awareness raising, protection, and advocacy for stronger systems.
In the Western Balkans, our approach includes early identification of individuals at risk, access to protective and specialized community-based services, and support for the recovery and reintegration of trafficking survivors. We partner with local centres to provide psychological counselling, social inclusion programmes, and educational support to help prevent school dropouts, which is a known risk factor for trafficking. The organisation also strengthens the capacity of local professionals to improve child protection services and empowers at-risk youth through peer support and career counselling.
To respond effectively to the cross-border nature of trafficking, Tdh has played a key role in setting up a regional cooperation mechanism among European countries. Our efforts have focused on strengthening transnational protocols, developing learning tools, and providing capacity-building trainings, along with supporting victim identification and assistance, and implementing community reintegration services for presumed and verified victims of trafficking through a case management system.
In recent years, Tdh has prioritised protection challenges in the European region, particularly for unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), who face an especially high risk of trafficking.
"The ongoing displacement of children and youth due to war and conflict, especially following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, continues to heighten the risk of trafficking and exploitation in our region, posing serious challenges to access protection services for children and youth on the move.
Traffickers increasingly use the internet to target displaced vulnerable children and youth, while poverty, lack of social support, and limited integration into host societies compound their exposure to harm,” explains Olsi Dudumi, Tdh Regional Children and Youth on the Move Programme Coordinator for Europe.
Additionally, from 2019 to 2022, Tdh supported the establishment of a transnational referral mechanism and cross-border child protection system between Greece and Albania for victims and potential victims of trafficking. This initiative reinforced the existing bilateral agreement between the two countries, contributing to stronger protection and more coordinated responses.
Trafficking can only be addressed through strong systems, sustained partnerships, and solutions that put survivors at the centre. Terre des hommes calls upon governments, civil society, and communities across Europe to collaborate in establishing systems and environments that ensure every child is protected, empowered, and free from exploitation.