• Strengthen efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers that reflect the gravity of the crime, including significant prison terms.
• Proactively identify trafficking victims by systematically screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including asylum-seekers, migrants, unaccompanied children, and children in state-run institutions.
• Implement amendments to the NRM that include third-country nationals to ensure foreign victims receive assistance.
• Train authorities to recognize indicators of trafficking among vulnerable groups, including by screening third country nationals subject to deportation, and refer all victims to services.
• Re-establish a national anti-trafficking coordination unit to oversee all aspects of the country’s anti-trafficking efforts, including national and international cooperation, information sharing, and policy coordination, and increase staff to ensure the execution of these critical functions.
• Develop a comprehensive NAP to combat trafficking, with dedicated resources for implementation, and seek civil society input.
• Increase efforts to regulate foreign labor recruitment in Hungary, such as empowering the labor authority to regulate labor recruitment agencies and impose fines or punishments on agencies that commit trafficking crimes.
• Ensure trafficking victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
• Amend the anti-trafficking law to ensure that force, fraud, or coercion are not required for sex trafficking crimes involving child victims.

The government maintained anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts.

Section 192 of the criminal code criminalized all forms of labor trafficking and some forms of sex trafficking. Section 192 prescribed penalties of one to 10 years’ imprisonment for crimes involving an adult victim and five to 20 years’ or life imprisonment for those involving a child victim. These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. Legislative amendments from 2020 helped align Hungary’s definition of trafficking with the international definition by more precisely defining exploitation and including force, fraud, or coercion as an essential element of the base crime of adult trafficking. However, inconsistent with international law, the amended Section 192 required a demonstration of force, fraud, or coercion to constitute a child sex trafficking crime, thereby not criminalizing all forms of child sex trafficking. Judicial officials continued to assert the law implicitly established that force, fraud, or coercion were not required to constitute child sex trafficking and that this therefore was not a barrier in successfully prosecuting and obtaining convictions in child sex trafficking cases. Section 203 of the criminal code, which criminalized crimes relating to the “exploitation of child prostitution,” could be utilized to prosecute some child sex trafficking crimes that did not necessarily involve force, fraud, or coercion. Section 203 prescribed penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, which were not sufficiently stringent nor commensurate with penalties prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. Penalties under this provision increased only if a person was “supported partly or wholly by profiting” from such exploitation of a child or for maintaining or operating a brothel for the purposes of such exploitation of a child. Observers noted a gap in the law remained that could allow the prosecution of a victim if that victim consented to the crime without coercion. The Prosecutor General Office (PGO) instructed prosecutors not to prosecute such victims.

In 2024, police investigated 77 trafficking cases (57 sex trafficking, 17 labor trafficking, and three unspecified forms of trafficking), approximately half as many cases as in the previous year and a multi-year decline from 150 in 2023 and 219 in 2022. Authorities prosecuted 82 suspected traffickers (59 sex trafficking, 16 labor trafficking, and seven unspecified forms of trafficking), approximately half as many cases as in the previous year and a multi-year decline from 166 in 2023 and 180 in 2022. Courts convicted 87 traffickers, marking a multi-year increase from 74 in 2023 and 67 in 2022. The government did not report sentencing data for convicted traffickers. In 2024, the government enacted amendments to the criminal code eliminating the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against children, including Section 203 offenses, thereby providing authorities with additional time to investigate and prosecute such crimes. The amendments stipulated that persons convicted of sexual crimes against children, including trafficking, would not be eligible for conditional release. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) maintained a specialized unit dedicated to investigating trafficking cases with an international or organized crime connection. The NBI extradited four traffickers, participated in a Europol-led hackathon on online human trafficking, and cooperated with foreign counterparts on multiple international investigations, including with Romanian authorities on an investigation identifying three sex trafficking victims and seven labor trafficking victims. Most frequent information exchanges were with Austria, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Six regional investigation units with nationwide jurisdiction under the Transnational Crime Department of NBI also worked on trafficking investigations on a case-by-case basis. In general, county police with territorial jurisdiction conducted trafficking investigations. Police maintained anti-trafficking senior supervisor officers in all 20 county police headquarters to increase detection of trafficking and direct the investigative work in trafficking cases. The National Police Headquarters provided professional supervision and training for the county police headquarters, such as on detecting trafficking cases and identifying victims, and published guidance and information on human trafficking for officers on its website. The National Police Headquarters, in cooperation with the National Media and Communications Authority, established an agreement to draft regulations that would hold content providers using the internet accountable for any content related to human trafficking on their websites.

County-level chief prosecution offices filed charges and motions for arrest in trafficking cases, and the PGO provided professional supervision, guidance, and training for subordinate prosecution offices. The PGO maintained a network of specialized prosecutors at the county level responsible for ensuring the uniform procedural handling of trafficking cases and facilitating the detection of trafficking. The network provided a practical guide to assist the work of prosecutors and investigating authorities on trafficking cases, particularly those involving vulnerable groups. The PGO required county chief prosecutors to designate a prosecutor with expertise to handle trafficking cases and related crimes, such as procuring commercial sex. The PGO also required the designated prosecutor to support local-level district prosecution offices in identifying potential trafficking cases qualified as other crimes at the beginning of criminal proceedings and to cooperate with police, child protection services, the labor inspectorate, county-level victim support services, and NGOs, including shelters. In 2024, various ministries and institutions provided a range of trafficking-related trainings for judges, prosecutors, investigators, and professionals on managing trafficking cases, understanding trauma, and identifying trafficking indicators.

The government increased victim protection efforts.

In 2024, the government identified 206 victims (67 sex trafficking, 40 labor trafficking, and 99 other or unspecified forms of trafficking), a notable increase from 163 in 2023. The vast majority of identified victims were Hungarian citizens; 14 were foreign nationals (eight in 2023). Authorities identified 64 child victims, a significant increase from 25 in 2023. Government Decree no. 354/2012 established the NRM and regulated the identification of victims and their referral to assistance. The decree included the authorities responsible for identifying victims, such as police, border guards, labor inspectors, and health professionals; a questionnaire to be completed with suspected victims; and procedural protocols. The decree also included a list of trafficking indicators and flowcharts – one for victims in Hungary and another for Hungarian victims abroad – to assist with the identification of victims and management of trafficking cases. After years of experts’ recommendations to include foreign victims without legal residency in the decree, in 2023, parliament approved an amendment authorizing the government to include third-country nationals in the NRM. However, the process to implement the amendment remained at a standstill in 2024, and officials did not provide a timeline for when the amendment would enter into force. Thus, the decree continued to omit foreign victims without legal residency. Experts continued to express concern authorities did not screen or adequately identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as asylum-seekers, unaccompanied children, and children in state-run institutions. To address these concerns, the government provided guidance for asylum officers on identifying foreign trafficking victims and a questionnaire with trafficking-related questions for asylum interviews. In accordance with the decree, after identification and the procurement of victims’ written consent, identifying authorities, such as law enforcement, NGOs, and healthcare professionals, recorded victims’ information into the government’s digital victim support system (EKAT), which provided information on support services, such as placement in shelters. In 2024, the government allocated 1.32 million Hungarian forint (HUF) ($3,340) to EKAT and trained users on the system. The Victim Support Act automatically entitled all victims of crime, except for third-country nationals, to support services unless they explicitly asked authorities not to record their personal data into EKAT.

In 2024, of the 206 identified trafficking victims, the government provided victim support services to 199 victims (97 percent), compared with 159 of 163 (98 percent) in 2023. The government maintained a national coordination mechanism to enhance the efficiency of the victim support system, boost interagency coordination, and comprehensively meet the diverse needs of victims. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) oversaw the victim support system, which included Victim Support Services, victim support centers, and a victim support hotline. Victim Support Services coordinated with various stakeholders, such as police, child welfare, and NGOs, to determine the needs of victims and the relevant services to provide. Victim support centers provided services tailored to the needs of victims, focusing on victims with specialized needs, such as children. Services included financial aid, psychological support, and shelter, and, in 2024, the government began offering interpretation services. The MOJ continued to build a nationwide network of victim support centers by opening three new centers in 2024, with nationwide coverage projected by 2025. In areas where the centers were unavailable, the MOJ operated victim support “hot-spots” to facilitate implementation of victim support. The centers and “hot-spots” assisted victims of domestic abuse and other crimes, including trafficking. Government-funded NGOs operated four shelters that provided accommodation, transportation, reintegration assistance, family care, financial management advice, and medical care to adult trafficking victims. Each shelter had two associated transitional houses that established and strengthened independent living and continued to provide assistance from social workers, psychologists, and lawyers as needed. One shelter was exclusively for male trafficking victims. In addition, a crisis intervention home was available for victims in serious danger and distress, providing time for recovery and rest while victim support specialists assessed their situation, needs, and vulnerability. The government provided three transitional houses with accommodation and reintegration facilities for victims leaving shelters. In 2024, the government dedicated 15 additional spaces in care facilities to support elderly trafficking victims, increasing the total to 30 spaces for elderly victims, who typically needed long-term accommodation and assistance but did not qualify for reintegration housing; the government also provided those victims with assistance. In 2024, the government updated the protocol for protected accommodations, including shelters and crisis centers, to standardize quality of care and professionalism by defining tasks to be performed and services to be provided by such facilities more precisely and in greater detail. With the support of a government-funded shelter, an international organization offered reintegration assistance to 10 sex trafficking victims identified abroad. In 2024, the government allocated 121.3 million HUF ($306,840) to NGOs for shelters, transitional houses, and emergency vehicles, a multi-year increase from 114.3 million HUF ($295,130) in 2023 and 88.9 million HUF ($224,880) in 2022. Generally, NGOs regarded the victim support system as satisfactory but noted the government still lacked a sophisticated perspective on addressing all aspects of trafficking and needed to allocate its resources more effectively. Civil society continued to express concern about limited government financial assistance and significant delays – up to a year in some instances – in receiving funding, resulting in strained NGO operations as shelters were overextended and underfunded. NGOs often had to rely on funding from private companies or religious organizations or find tender opportunities to ensure the shelter’s continued operation.

The Child Welfare Service maintained a system for detecting and reporting child endangerment, including human trafficking, to authorities. Hungarian law included a general protection measure for child trafficking victims, requiring police to place potential child victims in designated shelters to protect them from further exploitation; in 2024, the government increased the duration child trafficking victims could stay in these shelters from up to 60 days to 90 days. The government maintained 10 such shelters (one exclusively for boys) available nationwide for children under the protection measure; these shelters provided victims access to health care and psychological support. During the 90 days, the National Child Protection Expert Committee decided whether victims would be placed in a long-term shelter or returned to their family or the previous institution where they lived. In 2024, the police applied the general protection measure to 23 child trafficking victims (21 girls and two boys), all of whom were already under the care of child protection services; police applied the measure to six child victims in 2023. Experts continued to express concerns children in state-run homes and orphanages, especially children with disabilities, such as girls with special needs or dual needs, and Roma children, were particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking – approximately 6,000 children lived in state-run institutions nationwide. National regulations required child protection institutions and state-run homes to report all suspected cases of child sex trafficking. The law stipulated the government utilize the Barnahus method – a child-friendly, multidisciplinary approach offering child victims a coordinated and effective response during criminal proceedings. The approach enabled authorities to carry out crisis interventions, medical and forensic examinations, and interviews in one place, thus, protecting child victims from the traumatizing effects of multiple witness testimonies and other risks related to criminal proceedings. The government maintained five Barnahus centers nationwide. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) provided a comprehensive handbook with recommendations for family and child welfare services staff on recognizing trafficking indicators, identifying victims, and providing meaningful assistance. The government operated a 24-hour child protection hotline that could assist child trafficking victims.

While the NRM did not apply to foreign victims without legal residency, the government granted ad hoc approval to a government-funded NGO to provide services, such as financial support, shelter, and health care, in cases when the NGO requested it. Foreign victims could receive a 30-day reflection period to decide whether to assist law enforcement, during which they were eligible for a certificate of temporary stay for up to six months. Those who cooperated with authorities were entitled to a residence permit for the duration of their cooperation. In 2024, the government granted nine new residence permits for victims and their children, compared with zero in 2023. The law required the government to provide 22,800 HUF ($58) per month for one year to third-country nationals who were trafficking victims. The Victim Support Act allowed victims of violent crimes, such as human trafficking, to receive legal aid. The law also allowed victims to obtain restitution from traffickers in criminal cases and file civil suits against traffickers for compensation. In 2024, courts awarded 21.23 million HUF ($53,700) in compensation to trafficking victims. Experts raised concerns at the low number of trafficking victims who received compensation and called for the government to inform victims of their right to compensation and provide legal support to pursue it.

Authorities routinely deported third-country nationals, including potential trafficking victims, unlawfully entering or staying in Hungary without screening for trafficking indicators, which did not effectively prevent the inappropriate penalization of potential victims solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Media and international organizations continued to criticize law enforcement and immigration officials for “pushbacks” of undocumented migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers – including potential trafficking victims – into Serbia; such pushbacks potentially increased vulnerability to trafficking, exacerbated distrust of foreign officials, and deterred potential victims from reporting trafficking crimes or seeking assistance.

The government maintained prevention efforts.

The MOI’s Deputy Secretary of State acted as the National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator and chaired the national coordination mechanism, which consisted of relevant organizations involved in combating trafficking and monitored the implementation of the national anti-trafficking strategy. The most recent strategy expired in 2023; while the government continued to implement the 2020-2023 strategy, in 2024, efforts stalled to develop and adopt a new strategy. Observers attributed the delay, as well as other subdued efforts, to the government’s overall decreased attention on combating trafficking. Correspondingly, in 2024, the MOI dissolved the national anti-trafficking coordination unit and shifted responsibility for coordinating and improving the country’s anti-trafficking efforts, including national and international cooperation, information sharing, and policy coordination, to its law enforcement unit, which employed only two contractors to work on trafficking issues, among others, and execute critical anti-trafficking functions. Furthermore, several planned projects, including those supporting implementation of the NRM, such as children’s shelters, faced significant delays, and funding for projects varied based on the government’s attention to the issue. Although the government typically pursued external funding for its anti-trafficking projects, it annually allocated 10 million HUF ($25,300) to the MOI for combating trafficking and implementing the national strategy and, in 2024, allocated 2.9 million HUF ($7,340) to produce posters and flyers with information on victim support services in multiple languages. The EU’s Internal Security Fund, which combined 25 percent domestic money with 75 percent EU funding, funded the majority of the government’s operative work, including anti-trafficking initiatives; however, in 2024, these funds were unavailable because of the European Commission’s concerns about rule of law and corruption in Hungary. In 2024, the Governments of Hungary and the United Kingdom, in cooperation with an international organization, implemented a project aimed at enhancing transnational collaboration between the countries on the identification, assistance, and referral of trafficking victims; the project included stakeholder mapping and rapid landscape analysis of trends, institutional frameworks, and challenges. The government allocated approximately 202.5 million HUF ($512,240) to a 24-hour, NGO-run national hotline in 2024. The hotline provided services in multiple languages, assisted victims of domestic violence and trafficking, and, in 2024, identified 17 trafficking victims. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.

Hungarian law prohibited recruitment fees by private employment agencies, regulated employers’ compliance with labor laws, and prescribed penalties of sanctions or fines. In 2024, the government implemented stricter regulations for guest workers, limiting permit durations, restricting permits to individuals in specific professions, and prohibiting recruitment agencies from hiring outside the EU; such measures tend to result in increased illegal and unregulated recruitment, thus, increasing guest workers’ vulnerability to trafficking. The labor inspection authority did not have the competency to independently inspect labor recruitment agencies or impose fines or punishments on foreign labor exchange agencies that committed trafficking crimes, but it could assess agencies’ compliance with regulations concerning temporary work. The Ministry for National Economy and the National Police continued to implement a three-year cooperation agreement authorizing police and labor inspectors to conduct regular and coordinated joint labor inspections, averaging one unannounced inspection per month in each of Hungary’s counties through the end of 2024. Authorities targeted high-risk sectors and environments but did not identify any trafficking victims in the context of the cooperation. In addition, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, police, and the labor authority screened for trafficking indicators among foreign employees while conducting site inspections. Despite these measures, observers noted regulating mechanisms, such as inspections, remained insufficient to address labor trafficking, and most recruiting agencies operated with inadequate oversight. In 2024, the PGO’s research institute conducted a study on labor trafficking and published its findings online.

Trafficking affects all communities. This section summarizes government and civil society reporting on the nature and scope of trafficking over the past five years. Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Hungary, and traffickers exploit victims from Hungary abroad. Populations vulnerable to trafficking include Hungarians in extreme poverty, undereducated young adults; single mothers; asylum-seekers; migrants; Roma; persons with disabilities; children and the elderly living in state-run institutions; persons experiencing homelessness; and persons who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Traffickers typically operate in small groups based on common interests or familial ties and tend to recruit girls from their own families. Traffickers continued to use romance scams to seduce girls to willingly leave their homes, gradually isolate them from society, and then, through different methods and forms of control, force them into sex trafficking. Traffickers increasingly use social media and instant messaging applications to recruit victims, post advertisements, and exploit children in sex trafficking. Children in government-run institutions, particularly girls, remain vulnerable to sex trafficking. Adolescent girls with mild intellectual disabilities and/or special needs, including dissocial behavior, psychoactive substance abuse, or psychiatric conditions, who are living in state-run institutions, are among the most vulnerable to sex trafficking. The number of registered unaccompanied children remained remarkably low, particularly since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Experts noted these children remained vulnerable to trafficking and raised concerns the government had low standards for identifying unaccompanied children, such as inadequate checks of parental permission for youths traveling to Hungary as part of sports teams. Traffickers exploit Hungarian women, boys, and girls in sex and labor trafficking inside the country and abroad, mostly in Europe and particularly in Austria, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Authorities have discerned a new pattern toward the Nordic region, particularly in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. Sex trafficking remains the most common form of trafficking in Hungary, but cases of labor trafficking have notably increased. Traffickers subject Hungarians, particularly adult men exploited by family members and acquaintances, to labor trafficking in agriculture, construction, domestic servitude, hospitality, and factories. NGOs report domestic labor trafficking remains a concern, particularly in rural areas, among Ukrainians and other third-country nationals who come to Hungary to assist with the country’s labor shortage. Trafficking victims from Eastern European countries, as well as asylum-seekers and undocumented migrants, including some potential trafficking victims, transit Hungary en route to Western Europe. Refugees, predominantly women and children, fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war and arriving in Hungary, are highly vulnerable to trafficking.