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    • Frontex helps 1 200 victims in global crackdown on human trafficking

    2025-07-10

    In a sweeping international crackdown, Frontex helped identify nearly 1 200 victims of human trafficking during Operation Global Chain 2025. This week-long effort brought together nearly 15 000 officers from 43 countries in a coordinated strike against one of the world’s most exploitative crimes.

    Behind the numbers are real human stories of women, children, and men from 64 countries, forced into sexual exploitation, criminal activity, and begging. Some were trafficked across multiple countries, separated from their families and stripped of their freedom.

    This global effort, coordinated from Frontex headquarters in Warsaw, focused on cases of sexual exploitation, forced criminality and forced begging. Frontex supported its partners by deploying border officers, enabling real-time information exchange, and helping detect signs of trafficking, particularly at Europe’s external borders.

    "Human trafficking destroys lives and crosses every border. That’s why we need to respond as one,” said Hans Leijtens, Executive Director at Frontex. “By working together, we not only disrupt criminal networks but also help bring protection and hope to people who have been through the worst."

    The operation led to 158 arrests and the identification of a further 205 suspects. Authorities launched 182 new investigations, including 15 cross-border cases. Many of these cases have already led to rescues and critical breakthroughs in ongoing investigations.

    Operation Global Chain 2025 was conducted under the framework of EMPACT, with funding from Frontex, INTERPOL’s I-FORCE Project, and the German Federal Foreign Office. INTERPOL supported the operation by providing access to its databases and deploying criminal intelligence officers to Warsaw.

    Key examples from the operation:

    • In Italy, police uncovered 75 suspected victims during raids on massage parlours, along with weapons and drugs.
    • In Romania, eight children trafficked for forced begging were rescued. Nine suspects were arrested.
    • In Thailand, police dismantled a prostitution ring that targeted minors through social media.
    • In Portugal, Frontex-supported border officers spotted indicators of labour trafficking involving Paraguay nationals.
    • In Ukraine, an operation was exposed that recruited women for exploitation in Germany.

    The success of the operation shows the power of international cooperation in tackling human trafficking and protecting those at risk. Frontex remains committed to protecting the most vulnerable at Europe’s borders and defending fundamental human dignity against those who seek to exploit it.

    Participating countries:

    Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo*, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vietnam

    Participating agencies and projects:

    Europol, INTERPOL, Frontex, EU4FAST, AMERIPOL

    *This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

    The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most important threats posed by organized and serious international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles focusing on common EU crime priorities.