Council of Europe Urges Belarus to Identify Human Trafficking Victims Among Migrants
Reform.news Editorial Team · 4 November 2026, 13:59
https://reform.news/en/council-of-europe-urges-belarus-to-identify-human-trafficking-victims-among-migrants/The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged the Belarusian authorities to step up efforts to identify victims among foreign nationals and ensure that victims have access to lawyers and compensation. The third monitoring report on Belarus was published on November 4 and covers the period from October 2022 to the end of June 2026.
As the Council of Europe reports, official statistics are unlikely to reflect the true scale of human trafficking in the country. Since 2021, tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Belarus seeking to cross the borders into Poland, Lithuania or Latvia. However, no victims of human trafficking have been identified among migrants and asylum seekers. GRETA considers this an indication that efforts to identify such victims have been insufficient.
The experts also called for an assessment of the risk that a person could become a victim of human trafficking or re-exploitation after returning home before every forced removal from Belarus.
According to figures from the Interior Ministry cited by the Council of Europe, Belarus recorded 1,341 suspected victims of human trafficking and related crimes between 2022 and 2025. A total of 1,161 victims were officially identified. Children accounted for 59% of those affected and women for 40%. The overwhelming majority — 96.6% — were subjected to sexual exploitation. Around 86% of identified victims were exploited within the country.
The report also raises concerns about access to justice. Despite legal guarantees, no victim received free legal assistance from a professional lawyer during the reporting period. Compensation was awarded to only two victims.
GRETA recommends establishing a state compensation mechanism and ensuring that victims have access to lawyers specialising in such cases. Lawyers must be able to work without interference or the threat of prosecution.
Between 2022 and 2024, only one case classified as “human trafficking” was heard by a court. The experts reiterated their call to bring the definition of this crime into line with the Council of Europe Convention by including the abuse of a person’s vulnerable position among the means by which the crime can be committed.
GRETA also noted positive developments, including the increased use of special rooms for interviewing children, the involvement of trained psychologists and the adoption of a national mechanism to assist children affected by sexual violence and exploitation.
Given the growing number of migrant workers, the experts recommend strengthening oversight of recruitment agencies and improving labour inspectors’ capacity to identify exploitation. The authorities were also urged to review regulations that hinder the work of specialised non-governmental organisations.
The report was prepared without a visit to Belarus, based on information provided by the authorities, international and civil society organisations, including those operating in exile. The Council of Europe suspended relations with the Belarusian authorities on March 17, 2022, due to Belarus’s involvement in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, Belarus remains a party to the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and is therefore subject to GRETA monitoring.