Member organisations of Plateforme Traite supported over 530 victims of human trafficking in 2025
The five member organisations of Plateforme Traite – Antenna MayDay, ASTRÉE, AVIT, CSP Geneva and FIZ – provided support to a total of 532 victims of human trafficking in Switzerland last year. Their support also includes assisting victims in taking legal action against the perpetrators. In 2025, 87 criminal proceedings were pending, which had been initiated following criminal complaints filed by victims supported by the member organisations.
In 2025, the member organisations of the Plateforme Traite identified 192 new victims of human trafficking. In total, they conducted initial interviews with more than 380 people. Of the newly identified victims, 55 per cent were victims of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, 42 per cent for the purpose of labour exploitation and 3 per cent for other forms of exploitation. These figures are largely in line with those of previous years, whilst the number of referrals of potential victims has continued to rise. The majority of the newly identified victims are women (70 %). The victims come from a total of 79 countries of origin; in 2025, the largest numbers of victims came from Colombia, Nigeria and Brazil.
David Dandrès, Director of AVIT, notes: «Through our work with the victims, we also fulfil an important monitoring role: we identify developments and trends in the field of human trafficking at an early stage.»
Criminal complaints and pending criminal proceedings in 2025
This year, for the first time, figures were also collected on criminal complaints filed by victims: the five members of Plateforme Traite recorded a total of 87 ongoing criminal proceedings for the year 2025, of which 68 complaints against the perpetrators were filed over the course of the past year.
Angela Oriti, Director of ASTRÉE, emphasises: «These figures highlight how important it is to provide victims with professional support in order to ensure the effective prosecution of offenders.»
Vera’s* life story impressively demonstrates how important specialised victim protection is. The woman, originally from Colombia, became a victim of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Switzerland. The traffickers exploited Vera’s vulnerable situation and that of her family in Bogotá, who were living in extremely difficult conditions. After arriving in Switzerland, Vera was forced to work as a prostitute in a flat alongside other women and hand over half of her earnings to those who had organised her journey. In addition, the costs of accommodation, food and her travel expenses were deducted from her earnings. In the end, she was left with only a small amount, which she sent to her family in Colombia. Following a police operation, Vera was referred to FIZ Fachstelle Frauenhandel und Frauenmigration.
Vera had to decide whether to report to the police the people who had recruited her under false pretences and exploited her for months. Thanks to the comprehensive information and support provided by the specialist organisation, she finally decided – despite the risks to her family back in her home country – to report them. The criminal proceedings are currently pending.
Few convictions for human trafficking
Nevertheless, the number of convictions for human trafficking remains very low. Since the introduction of the criminal offence of human trafficking in Article 182 of the Swiss Criminal Code (StGB) in 2006, an average of only ten convictions for human trafficking per year have become final. The low number of convictions shows that many victims continue to be denied justice through this system and that numerous perpetrators remain unpunished.
In addition to the lack of awareness and specialist knowledge among law enforcement practitioners, another reason lies in the wording of Article 182 of the Criminal Code on human trafficking. This does not define the constituent elements of human trafficking with sufficient clarity, particularly in relation to labour exploitation. As announced during the meeting with the Federal Council last April , Plateforme Traite welcomes the fact that the FDJP is currently working on the revision of this article and that the Federal Council recognises the need for action in this area.
Leila Boussemacer, a lawyer at CSP Genève, states: «Any measure that helps to improve the prosecution of human trafficking is to be welcomed; however, in the event of any changes, the protection of those affected must always be guaranteed.»
*Name changed / Case anonymised
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