• Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, under the trafficking statute, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
• Proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, particularly children and individuals in commercial sex.
• Increase funding for victim assistance, including for developing expertise at wellbeing services counties.
• Reduce extensive pre-trial investigative delays and judicial system backlogs across trafficking cases by providing additional human resources to police and managing trafficking cases in a timely manner so as not to inadvertently exceed the statute of limitations or delay the provision of services.
• Train wellbeing services counties employees on assessing victims’ needs and ensure employees provide services in a timely manner and equitably to all trafficking victims.
• Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked and train police and prosecutors on the principle of non-punishment and applying it.
• Create a central repository for publicly available information on investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing data for trafficking cases.
• Train local authorities, particularly in north and northeast Finland, on detecting and enforcing trafficking crimes, specifically sex trafficking crimes, and evidence collection.

The government decreased law enforcement efforts.

Chapter 25, Section 3 of the penal code criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed sentences of between four months and six years’ imprisonment for crimes involving an adult victim and between two and 10 years’ imprisonment for those involving a child victim. These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with regard to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. In January 2025, the government amended the penal code, expanding the definition of trafficking to include forced marriage.

In 2024, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported the Finnish Police investigated 106 trafficking cases, a significant decrease from 152 in 2023. Authorities attributed the discrepancy in the number of investigations to a few particularly broad scale labor trafficking investigations into berry processing companies in 2023. Authorities prosecuted 20 trafficking cases (10 sex trafficking, 5 labor trafficking, and 5 unspecified forms of trafficking), marking a multi-year decline from 48 in 2023 and 59 in 2022. Courts convicted four traffickers in 2024, a decrease from six traffickers in 2023 and 2022. The government did not provide sentencing data for all convicted traffickers. In 2024, courts convicted a senior ministerial advisor of bribery and abuse of public office in connection with a 2022 labor trafficking case involving berry pickers from Thailand. Courts issued a one-year suspended sentence, ordered the official to pay the state the amount of the bribe, and dismissed the official from the ministry. The former chief executive officer of the berry processing firm involved in the case received an eight-month suspended sentence and a fine and remained under investigation for aggravated human trafficking of the Thai berry pickers. The government continued to use laws against pandering, discrimination, and usury, among others, to investigate and prosecute some suspected traffickers; the penalties for these crimes were generally far less severe than those for trafficking crimes. Observers raised concerns that government statistics were unreliable and noted the need to improve the system for collecting and collating data on investigations, prosecutions, and convictions. In 2024, NBI and regional police departments cooperated with foreign governments on multiple international investigations, including with Thai counterparts on the aforementioned berry picking case, and participated in a Europol-led hackathon on online human trafficking. Under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers, officials from all five Nordic countries maintained an anti-trafficking working group comprising stakeholders from across the region engaging on trends, best practices, challenges, and activities in their respective countries. As part of the working group and to facilitate international policing efforts, authorities maintained a police network composed of Nordic police officers to further cooperate on cross-border investigations, exchange information, and conduct trainings on investigating trafficking cases. The government deployed border guard liaison officers, who could assist with trafficking investigations, to Lithuania, Estonia, Spain, Russia, and China.

NBI maintained a dedicated human trafficking and unlawful immigration intelligence unit with nationwide jurisdiction focused on coordinating with regional police departments, improving police understanding of trafficking, supporting SOPs for investigating trafficking cases across the country, and raising awareness of trafficking crimes. The Helsinki Police Department maintained a specialized unit dedicated to high-profile and cross-jurisdiction trafficking cases nationwide, sex trafficking cases nationwide, and labor trafficking cases originating in the Helsinki metro area. Regional police departments assigned officers specialized in trafficking to investigate trafficking and related crimes. Observers noted efforts by the police to consistently enforce trafficking laws but recognized regional variances, particularly in north and northeast Finland, in resources, evidence collection, and subject matter expertise in identifying and enforcing trafficking crimes, specifically sex trafficking, as most specialized experts worked in southern Finland. Protocol required police to submit a report to the prosecutor’s office in all suspected trafficking cases. The prosecutor’s office of southern Finland, which includes Helsinki, maintained a specialized human trafficking and unlawful immigration team and a trafficking information-sharing network, connecting prosecutors with experience and expertise working on trafficking cases in all local districts.

Extensive judicial system backlogs across all cases, including trafficking, continued throughout the country. Observers stated a lack of personnel and resources hindered trafficking investigations and led to long delays and untenable workloads for individual prosecutors. In addition, observers stressed that, although resource constraints were not limited to trafficking-related cases, they could have had an outsized impact on trafficking-related crimes. Many trafficking cases continued to linger in pre-trial investigation so long that if authorities were unable to reach the high burden of proof required for a trafficking conviction, they were unable to pursue lesser charges because of the, by then expired, statute of limitations of related non-trafficking crimes. Over the past few years, experts criticized police for delays in investigations, noting some pre-trial investigations lasted longer than four years. The National Police Board acknowledged investigative delays were an issue but noted delays in trafficking cases were in line with delays for other crimes and were a broader result of overall lack of resources. The National Police Board also noted Finland had the fewest police officers per capita rate of any nation in Europe. In 2024, the National Police Board published a handbook on pre-trial investigations for trafficking cases and maintained guidelines on identifying and investigating trafficking and related crimes. Additionally, in 2024, the government provided training to pre-trial and judicial authorities on identifying all forms of trafficking to improve authorities’ basic expertise and competence and, in turn, the criminal justice process. The government provided further trafficking-related trainings for law enforcement, prosecutors, and labor inspectors on anti-trafficking laws, victim-centered approaches, psychological coercion, and identifying and preventing labor trafficking.

The government marginally increased protection efforts.

The National Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking (NAS) functioned as the national center of excellence on trafficking and assistance for victims and defined an identified trafficking victim as a person admitted into NAS. In 2024, NAS admitted 141 trafficking victims (41 sex trafficking, 97 labor trafficking, and three unspecified forms of trafficking), a significant decrease and a multi-year decline from 276 in 2023 and 367 in 2022. Government officials underscored the exceptional nature of previous years’ statistics, attributing them to broad scale investigations into berry processing companies for labor trafficking and the significant number of berry pickers identified as victims. NAS also admitted 66 victims of forced marriage (50 in 2023), which Finnish law criminalized as a form of trafficking. Of all the victims admitted to NAS in 2024, 197 were adults and 10 were children; NAS did not identify any child trafficking victims in 2023. The vast majority of identified victims were female foreign nationals. Experts acknowledged there was little public awareness of human trafficking in Finland, and the general perception was that Finns could not become trafficking victims. Experts reported gaps in identifying trafficking victims, particularly children, individuals in commercial sex, and victims of forced criminality. NAS released a semi-annual report in 2024, recognizing gaps and the decline in identified victims and noting the low number of victim referrals from traditional sources, such as the police and social workers, with most referrals coming from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) and reception centers. The report raised concerns about under identification and prompted an increase in training to improve identification and, in turn, referrals. In 2024, NAS collaborated with Migri to update instructions for reception centers on identifying potential trafficking victims and trained new operators on recognizing trafficking indicators and understanding referral procedures. Furthermore, during the reporting period, the government adopted an NRM to standardize victim identification, referral, and assistance, define the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, and streamline information-sharing among relevant actors. As part of the initiative, the government trained social and healthcare sector professionals on implementation. While experts continued to note regional differences in victim referrals and the dearth of victim referrals from certain communities and regions, they were optimistic that the NRM would address inconsistencies in how authorities detected and referred victims.

NAS did not require trafficking victims to participate in criminal proceedings to receive social services and did not require a case to end in a conviction for victims, particularly victims exploited in commercial sex, to receive services. The government maintained regional wellbeing services counties to guide the provision of social services, including assistance to trafficking victims, in the country. Each wellbeing services county provided guidelines and protocols on victim assistance. There were 21 wellbeing services counties throughout Finland. The City of Helsinki separately organized healthcare and social welfare assistance to trafficking victims. For trafficking victims admitted to NAS with a home municipality in Finland, wellbeing services counties were responsible for arranging healthcare and social welfare assistance and assessing the need for support. Conversely, for victims admitted to NAS without a home municipality in Finland, NAS was responsible for arranging healthcare and social welfare assistance and assessing the need for support. Overall, the quality of victim assistance was good; however, some wellbeing services counties’ personnel lacked knowledge about trafficking, leading to discrepancies in identification and assistance. Observers reported disparity in the assessment of victims’ needs and varying degrees of skill and expertise throughout the country. While some wellbeing services counties employed experts who treated victims of violence, including trafficking, a lack of funding hindered the development of expertise in specialized services for trafficking victims within all counties. The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Office recommended all counties employ experts to increase support for trafficking victims. In 2024, NAS offered training for staff at wellbeing services counties and assumed responsibility for coordinating regional anti-trafficking networks, which aimed to strengthen regional expertise, enhance cooperation among stakeholders, and raise awareness.

Wellbeing services counties coordinated with NAS to provide victims with services, including counseling, financial aid, interpretation and translation services, legal aid, professional support, social rehabilitation, and shelter. In addition, government agencies and NAS collaborated with several victim support organizations to offer similar services to trafficking victims, including psychological support, crisis support, and safe housing. Service providers housed most trafficking victims in private accommodations. A Migri reception center could temporarily house up to 300 trafficking victims. Social welfare, immigration, labor, and medical personnel staffed the center and provided assistance to victims with support from NAS. The National Police Board instructed all police to conduct a protection needs assessment for all victims and to use interpreters when working with victims to ensure they understood their rights and services available – in 2024, the National Police Board established a nationwide agreement for interpretation services. In 2024, the government allocated €1.84 million ($1.91 million) to victim assistance, including operational costs, a decrease from €2.05 million ($2.13 million) in 2023.

Authorities placed unaccompanied child trafficking victims seeking asylum in a migrant reception center specifically for children, and child trafficking victims with home municipalities who could not return to their families in housing provided by Child Welfare Services, typically foster care. Experts expressed concern child trafficking in Finland was underreported, noting a lack of awareness among relevant professionals and gaps in the reporting system as Child Welfare Services personnel typically prioritized the provision of services over identification. Furthermore, representatives within the Finnish government debated whether child victims should be identified as trafficking victims or as victims of sexual abuse and whether their cases should be investigated as child sexual abuse cases, noting that maximum sentences for child sexual abuse were more stringent than for child trafficking. Experts recommended child identification procedures should consider the unique situation and needs of child trafficking victims and should ensure the best interests of the child. Experts also recommended training child specialists working with victims, increasing resources to Child Welfare Services, and enhancing outreach and awareness. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, in partnership with the EU, funded a six-year nationwide project utilizing the Barnahus approach – a child-friendly, multidisciplinary approach, enabling authorities to protect child victims from re-traumatization during criminal proceedings.

Under Finnish law, authorities could issue a reflection period of up to six months to a trafficking victim without legal residence to determine whether to participate in criminal proceedings. In 2024, NAS issued 14 victims a reflection period. Victims assisting in an investigation could receive renewable temporary residence permits, which were valid for six to 12 months and allowed victims to seek employment, while especially vulnerable victims could receive a continuous residence permit. Experts reported few trafficking victims met the requirements to receive a continuous residence permit because the threshold for considering victims “especially vulnerable” was high. Experts also reported vulnerability assessments were inconsistent and noted victims subjected to serious and ongoing sexual violence, including sex trafficking, did not always meet the threshold to receive a residence permit. Experts recommended lowering the threshold to allow for more victims to receive a residence permit. To promote the detection of work-related labor exploitation and trafficking, the law allowed employees to apply for an extended residence permit or for a certificate of expanded right to work and change employers; however, eligibility depended on employees already holding a residence permit in Finland that included the right to work. NAS provided trafficking victims without a residence permit, such as asylum-seekers, with a reception allowance, which covered essential daily expenses or emergency expenses.

Finnish immigration laws prohibited non-citizens from engaging in commercial sex, which Finnish law decriminalized for its citizens. Consequently, experts criticized immigration law, as the threat of deportation prevented some foreign sex trafficking victims from seeking assistance and hampered identification. Despite the criminal code including various provisions to prevent the inappropriate penalization of trafficking victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, experts expressed concern about the inappropriate prosecution of sex trafficking victims, particularly foreign nationals in commercial sex, individuals forced into criminality, or individuals with addictions. Experts noted the principle of non-punishment was not well-known among authorities in criminal proceedings and there was a lack of practical experience in applying the principle. In 2024, Finnish authorities and an international organization trained law enforcement and prosecutors on the implementation of the non-punishment principle. Under the law, trafficking victims could request free legal aid to assist with protective orders, requests for restitution, and other matters during pre-trial investigations and trial; in some cases, the state granted free legal aid to victims. According to an NGO, free legal aid was contingent upon successful conviction of the alleged trafficker under a trafficking statute. If an alleged trafficker was acquitted or convicted under a lesser statute, the government did not provide free legal aid and the plaintiff was liable for legal costs. An NGO funded legal costs for victims in cases of acquittal or conviction under lesser statutes. The law also allowed victims to request restitution from traffickers in criminal cases and file civil suits against traffickers for compensation.

In recent years, Finland experienced irregular migration facilitated by Russian authorities across the border with Russia and closed all checkpoints on its eastern border. In 2024, the government passed a temporary law allowing border guards to limit the receipt of asylum claims at the border, or to return asylum seekers deemed to have been part of an “instrumentalized migration” scheme back to Russia. International institutions criticized the law, stating it fell short of offering sufficient protections, violated international law, and could authorize pushbacks – a practice that potentially increased a person’s vulnerability to trafficking, exacerbated distrust of foreign officials, and disallowed for the reporting of any exploitation experienced. The law was not applied in 2024.

The government increased prevention efforts.

The national anti-trafficking rapporteur provided independent oversight on human trafficking issues, analyzed data and the effectiveness of policies, and recommended various legislative improvements to identify and assist trafficking victims. The national anti-trafficking coordinator oversaw all aspects of the country’s anti-trafficking efforts, including leading an intersectoral working group, composed of government and civil society representatives. The working group continued to implement the 2021-2023 NAP and began planning to draft an updated NAP. The most recent NAP identified several action items and outlined the government’s commitment to anti-trafficking projects. In addition, the government continued to implement its 2020-2025 NAP for preventing violence against children, which included objectives to increase identification and raise awareness of child trafficking. NAS operated a 24-hour hotline and website in multiple languages exclusively for trafficking victims; officials reported the hotline did not collect statistics on the number of trafficking victims identified and referred to the assistance system. Government representatives continued to participate in the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) anti-trafficking task force, working to strengthen and improve anti-trafficking policies in the region, consolidate expertise from the national level with the international level, and exchange information on efforts and best practices. Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) allocated €120,000 ($124,870) to a CBSS project on child trafficking focusing on building expertise and international cooperation, sharing best practices, and strengthening integration for refugee families from Ukraine; the project was conducted by several Finnish ministries. In addition, under Finland’s presidency of the CBSS, the expert group on children at risk and anti-trafficking task force conducted meetings to build expertise to combat child trafficking; organized conferences and workshops to address justice, healing, and protection for child trafficking victims; and published a report on best practices for combating child trafficking in the Baltic Sea Region. Other significant publications released included a handbook for forensic child interviews in trafficking cases, providing evidence-based approaches for conducting investigative interviews with child victims, and a crisis intervention guide, outlining immediate crisis support mechanisms tailored to the needs of trafficking victims. With the support of an international organization and other stakeholders, Finnish authorities collaborated with Uzbek authorities to enhance bilateral efforts to investigate trafficking crimes and improve victim identification and referral processes. The government made efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts by criminalizing the purchase of commercial sex under certain circumstances such as any third-party involvement (i.e., procuring or facilitating the purchase) and prescribing penalties of a fine or imprisonment for up to six months.

While Finnish law prohibited all forms of forced labor and the government effectively enforced the law, many experts noted gaps in protections remained for foreign workers in the berry picking and wild produce industry. In the past few years, the government passed and implemented laws to improve the legal position of seasonal berry pickers and to combat labor trafficking. For example, during the reporting period, the government amended the Seasonal Workers Act to align the wild berry picking sector with other industries that rely on seasonal labor, enhancing oversight and safeguarding pickers’ rights. Furthermore, in 2024, the MFA suspended the issuance of Schengen tourist visas for wild berry pickers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand to ensure those entering Finland for berry picking did so under formal employment arrangements. Following the suspension, the government mandated berry processing companies recruit foreign pickers through formal employment contracts, requiring pickers to obtain an employee’s residence permit, which would ensure they receive the protections and benefits associated with employment, such as minimum wage guarantees and improved working conditions. According to Migri, approximately 900 Thai berry pickers received residence permits for the 2024 harvest, while authorities denied 400 applicants due to evidence of labor trafficking. Some authorities noted these laws made identifying, investigating, and prosecuting labor trafficking easier, citing recent high-profile convictions in labor trafficking cases involving berry pickers. However, according to labor inspectors, companies continued to downgrade positions from full-time employee or employee-contractor positions to positions designated as self-employed, not only leaving foreign workers unentitled to certain worker benefits but without government oversight to ensure workers did not pay recruitment, training, or other fees, which the government prohibited. The Occupational Safety and Health Agency monitored compliance, including overseeing the employment terms for workers, conducted workplace inspections, and reported suspected labor trafficking to the police. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment maintained a working group to improve labor enforcement in the domestic work sector. In 2024, the government adopted and implemented Finland’s first-ever NAP to combat labor trafficking, which included enhancing interagency cooperation, emphasizing employers’ corporate social responsibility, and ensuring foreign workers’ equal access to labor protections and benefits. In addition, through the NAP, the government conducted awareness campaigns domestically and in source countries to educate workers on their rights and on Finland’s labor standards. In 2024, the government participated in two research projects with the Governments of Norway and Sweden addressing labor trafficking and work-related crime. One project focused on improving workplace environments, with a special emphasis on combating labor trafficking, and the other mapped and analyzed existing grievance mechanisms that could be used to seek redress for labor trafficking victims. The government maintained a mobile application assisting foreign workers with understanding their rights and providing available resources.

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 Finland, and, to a lesser extent, traffickers exploit victims from Finland abroad. Victims primarily originate from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Reports indicate an increase in female sex trafficking victims from South America, particularly Colombia and Venezuela. Among Finnish victims, NGOs note an increase in instances of religious cults exploiting their followers in sex and labor trafficking and in forced criminality involving children. Children in or aging out of state-run institutions and children who have run away from state-run institutions are at risk for trafficking. Asylum-seekers and other migrants, many of whom continue to reside in Finland for years after receiving a negative decision on their asylum claim, are the two groups most vulnerable to trafficking. Traffickers threaten to expose their unlawful residency if they complain of their exploitation in sex or labor trafficking. Traffickers increasingly use technology, such as social media, to recruit victims and typically operate from abroad to evade prosecution. Traffickers use threats of violence, debt leverage, and other forms of coercion to exploit victims. Traffickers move victims, many of whom are first exploited in southern and eastern Europe, to Finland for short inter-city stopovers, where they are further exploited, before transiting to another stop-over country. Experts report a rise in forced marriage cases, noting the marriages are typically arranged by family members and take place outside of Finland. Authorities report a rise in sex trafficking cases involving Chinese nationals exploiting Chinese women who enter Finland with work permits issued by other Schengen area countries. While observers suspect there are more sex trafficking cases than reported, labor trafficking cases are far more prevalent in Finland. Contributing factors include Finland’s aging population, the growing need for foreign labor, and the desire of people in countries of origin to migrate to developing countries. Methods of labor trafficking include demands for recruitment fees, debt bondage, promises of residence permits, fraud, and circumvention of payments through self-employment. Without the victims’ knowledge, companies downgrade positions from full-time employee or employee-contractor positions to positions designated as self-employed – which have different work parameters than foreign workers and are not entitled to employee benefits or basic labor protections – circumventing employer-related payments, such as recruitment, training, or other fees. Foreign-born workers and immigrants, many of whom arrive in Finland legally, are especially vulnerable to exploitation in the agriculture, construction, fishery, forestry, food delivery, restaurant, and transport sectors, and as cleaners, car washers, gardeners, and domestic workers. Domestic workers are at a particularly high risk for labor trafficking. Foreign workers, such as seasonal berry pickers remain especially vulnerable to labor trafficking. Finnish berry companies recruit pickers from Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand every year; in 2024, the MFA suspended issuing Schengen tourist visas for pickers from these countries to ensure those entering Finland for berry picking did so under formal employment contracts. As a result, the number of berry pickers decreased significantly during the 2024 harvest; companies employed approximately 800 pickers under formal contracts, compared with thousands recruited per harvest in the past (2,000 in 2023 and 4,000 in 2022). Refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine War and arriving in Finland are vulnerable to trafficking. Southern Finland, which includes Helsinki, remains the primary location for trafficking crimes.

Åland is an autonomous, demilitarized, and predominantly Swedish-speaking region of Finland. The national ombudsman does not have jurisdiction in the region on matters of social welfare and health care, and, while it does have authority on issues related to Finland’s criminal code, at times, in practice, neither the ombudsman nor the national rapporteur have competence or authority there. A separate police department in Åland reports to the autonomous government; therefore, any trafficking investigations are outside the purview of the Finnish government. Åland is also outside the jurisdiction of the wellbeing services counties. In 2024, NAS did not report identifying any trafficking victims in Åland, the same as in 2023 and 2022, but identified one trafficking victim in 2019. However, labor representatives note trafficking, particularly labor trafficking, is equally prevalent in Åland as it is in other parts of Finland. Government and civil society representatives note a lack of understanding of trafficking, particularly sex trafficking, in north and northeast Finland, which acts as a significant barrier to victim identification and results in underreporting in the region.