Cases of human trafficking in Portugal increased by almost 40% in 2021
Governor said that most cases of human trafficking reported in Portugal are for labor exploitation and men
The cases of trafficking in human beings reported in Portugal almost 40% last year compared to 2020, with 31 situations being considered human beings, the internal administration revealed this Thursday.
“In 2021, the Human Trafficking Observatory received 318 signals from trafficking victims, of which 308 victims were signaled in Portugal. Comparing with 2020, the number of flags increased by 89 records, which meant an increase of 39%”, said Francisca Van Dunem.
The data were advanced during the presentation of the project “Improving systems of prevention, assistance, protection and (re)integration for victims of sexual exploitation”.
According to, Portugal remains, as for years, as a destination country for previous victims of human trafficking, with “human cases” in which it is the country of origin.
The official said that most cases of trafficking in human beings reported in Portugal are for the exploitation of labor and men.
Regarding trafficking for sexual exploitation, the minister said that few cases were detected, mainly involving women from Central and Eastern Europe who are not members of the European Union.