German authorities report a record high in investigations concluded regarding human trafficking and exploitation in 2024. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced on Thursday that 576 investigations were closed – a 13 percent increase compared to the previous year, marking the highest number since data collection began in 2000.
A significant focus of these concluded investigations lies in the area of sexual exploitation, with 364 cases representing a ten-year high. Notably, this form of exploitation is increasingly occurring in private residences, an environment difficult to monitor and suggesting a considerable number of unreported cases. The consequences for victims are often severe.
Victims and suspects of sexual exploitation frequently originate from countries outside Germany, with a marked increase in cases involving individuals from China and Colombia. Many of those affected are women and young people, often including minors.
Online platforms continue to play a substantial role in initiating contact, alongside emotionally manipulative tactics such as the “loverboy” method, in which perpetrators establish emotional dependence before exploiting victims for financial gain through prostitution. The use of psychological and physical violence in these instances is also on the rise.
A record number of investigations were also concluded concerning labor exploitation, often involving temporary employment agencies and workers from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. The Financial Control Unit for Illegal Employment (FKS), a division of German Customs, initiated around one-third of these labor exploitation cases.
Human trafficking and exploitation are largely considered areas of preventative policing, with a significant proportion of investigations being initiated through proactive police activities, primarily through controls and inspections. Many victims do not seek assistance from authorities due to fear or a lack of awareness regarding their rights, resulting in a substantial number of unreported cases.
Minors are particularly vulnerable, with over 200 investigations registering children and adolescents as victims of exploitation. Of these, 195 cases involved commercial sexual exploitation. Contributing factors to this increase include insufficient protective measures on various online platforms, facilitating the exploitation of minors through online means. In two instances, children were offered for sale online.
Suspects involved in human trafficking and exploitation are, in some cases, linked to organized criminal groups and operate internationally. This is reflected in the increasing number of victims originating from non-EU countries, according to the BKA.