• Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including labor trafficking, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
• Improve sentencing practices by training judges about the severity of trafficking crimes and the importance of applying the stringent penalties available under the trafficking law.
• Ensure all victims, including those exploited outside of Switzerland, have access to the full range of victim protections and services, irrespective of whether they participate in criminal proceedings.
• Develop and implement a standardized national identification and referral procedure to refer all victims to appropriate care and train officials on its use.
• Ensure all cantons develop and implement a defined process for victim identification and referral, have a cantonal roundtable, and ensure adequate protection services are available for all victims.
• Consistently train front-line officials on the proactive identification of victims and their referral to services.
• Increase access to specialized services for all victims, including labor trafficking victims, asylum-seekers, male, and child victims, and ensure adequate protection services are available in all cantons.
• Ensure every canton has law enforcement and prosecutors who specialize in trafficking.
• Ensure victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
• Amend the anti-trafficking provision of the criminal code to include force, fraud, or coercion as an essential element of the crime consistent with the international law definition and ensure the criminal code clearly defines labor exploitation.
• Increase awareness of and access to compensation and increase prosecutors’ efforts to systematically request restitution for survivors during criminal trials.
• Consistently enforce strong regulations and oversight of labor recruitment companies, including by codifying in law the elimination of worker-paid recruitment fees and holding fraudulent labor recruiters criminally accountable.
• Coordinate and centralize the data collection of trafficking data across the government, including from cantons, and sufficiently disaggregate data between sex and labor trafficking.
• Strengthen international law enforcement cooperation to prevent and investigate extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Appoint a national rapporteur to provide independent review of government anti-trafficking efforts.

The government maintained anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts.

Article 182 of the penal code criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to life imprisonment and/or a fine; the penalties included prison sentences of no less than one year for crimes involving a child victim and those where the trafficker acted for commercial gain. These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as kidnapping. Inconsistent with the definition of trafficking under international law, Article 182 does not include a demonstration of force, fraud, or coercion as an essential element of the crime. Multiple experts, including GRETA and OSCE, called for revision of Article 182. NGOs stated the lack of an explicit legal definition for labor exploitation under Article 182 complicated labor trafficking investigations and prosecutions and limited data collection necessary for prevention efforts.

The government did not maintain a centralized law enforcement data collection system on trafficking crimes, hindering its ability to track and evaluate human trafficking statistics, particularly those collected at the cantonal level, and likely resulting in underreported anti-trafficking prosecution statistics. In 2023, the most recent year for which data was available, cantonal authorities reported investigating 54 cases with 56 suspects under Article 182, compared with 59 cases and 51 suspects in 2022. In 2023, the government recorded 51 offenses related to sex trafficking and 23 for labor trafficking; however, the number of offenses did not directly correlate to the number of suspects or cases under investigation as one suspect could commit multiple offenses. In Switzerland, convictions are recorded in the year the prosecution was initiated and only recorded when all appeals are finalized, which can cause prior year prosecution and conviction statistics to increase slightly as cases are finalized; as convictions and sentences are statistically recorded in the year a trial starts, the government did not report appealed verdicts. The government did not collect national statistics on the total number of prosecutions initiated in a given year under Article 182, necessitating an assessment of only successful prosecutions that resulted in conviction. Additionally, the government did not disaggregate data between sex and labor trafficking under Article 182. Based on unfinalized data, in 2023, the most recent year for which data was available, cantonal authorities and courts reported prosecuting and convicting eight traffickers under Article 182. This compared with six convictions in 2022 and 13 in 2021. Conviction rates varied by canton; four cantons convicted at least one trafficker in 2023, however, 13 cantons have not reported convicting any traffickers in at least 15 years under Article 182. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes. Authorities continued investigating a case of alleged labor trafficking of Pakistani diplomats from the Pakistan Mission in Geneva.

Lenient sentencing practices weakened deterrence, undercut efforts of police and prosecutors, and created security and safety concerns, particularly for victims who cooperated with investigations and prosecutions. Of the eight convictions in 2023, courts issued fully suspended prison sentences or assigned a sentence of less than one year of imprisonment to five traffickers (63 percent) and sentenced three traffickers (37 percent) to significant prison terms of one year or longer. As a comparison, in 2023 of the 75 convicted rapists, 54 (72 percent) were sentenced to significant prison sentences of one year or longer in prison. Some NGOs recommended the government enact a minimum sentence for all convicted traffickers – not just trafficking crimes involving children – to address issues with lenient sentencing. Historically, prosecutions and convictions for labor trafficking were low, and NGOs asserted many labor trafficking cases were pursued as administrative labor violations, resulting in lesser consequences and decreased deterrence. Although civil society noted increased government focus on labor trafficking, GRETA noted a historical low number of prosecutions and convictions of labor trafficking cases, and observers noted additional resources across cantons were needed to allow law enforcement to better address labor trafficking. Additionally, NGOs noted a demonstrated lack of willingness for authorities to investigate and convict traffickers’ accomplices.

Jurisdiction for investigations and criminal prosecutions in Switzerland rested with the 26 cantons except for cases involving organized criminal networks, which were under federal police (FedPol) jurisdiction. At the federal level, in 2024, the government with an international organization established a project, Financial Intelligence against Human Trafficking, to optimize cooperation in investigations of trafficking crimes using financial analysis. Although FedPol provided training to the cantons on investigative techniques and information exchange, observers noted federal authorities did not provide sufficient coordination to the cantons. FedPol cooperated with some cantonal authorities on an online investigation tool and financial investigative techniques. At the cantonal level, at least six of 26 cantons had specialized anti-trafficking police units and at least 21 cantons reported police trained in trafficking; however, NGOs reported some units lacked sufficient funding and personnel. In 2024, Parliament rejected a law that would have increased funding for anti-trafficking efforts, while observers noted smaller cantons lacked the financial resources to combat trafficking. Most cantonal police forces were involved in cross-cantonal treaties to improve coordination, including on trafficking; however, NGOs reported insufficient coordination between cantons hindered law enforcement efforts, with frequent duplication of efforts. In 2024, the government and government-funded NGOs conducted anti-trafficking trainings for labor inspectors, police officers, prosecutors, health care staff, and border and immigration officials. Civil society further emphasized the need for trainings for front-line officials, prosecutors, and judges and at the cantonal level.

Federal and cantonal law enforcement officials continued to cooperate with foreign counterparts to investigate international trafficking crimes. Switzerland maintained at least 10 police attachés posted abroad, who provided support to government prosecution authorities in combating transnational crime, including human trafficking, and police cooperation agreements with several countries.

The government slightly increased victim protection efforts.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data was available, cantonal authorities reported identifying 60 victims, an increase compared with 38 victims identified in 2022. Of the 60 trafficking victims identified, traffickers exploited 41 in sex trafficking and 19 in labor trafficking; 52 were adults and eight were children; and 59 were foreign nationals and one was Swiss. The government did not have national victim identification and referral guidelines. The government continued a standardized process for authorities from different agencies to coordinate on cases for potential trafficking victims. The NAP instructed cantons to create guidelines on victim identification. While some cantons developed their own victim identification and referral mechanisms, others remained without such guidelines; disparate processes resulted in inconsistent victim identification and referral to care across cantons. The government maintained standardized procedures to identify child victims, but observers reported these were used inconsistently. GRETA’s 2024 report called for a harmonized approach to identify victims in all cantons.

Authorities noted a growing number of potential trafficking victims among asylum-seekers, and border police reported screening newly arrived asylum-seekers for trafficking indicators. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) trained staff on victim identification and provided a checklist for victim identification. In addition to victims identified by the cantons, for the first year, SEM reported data on potential victims identified in the asylum process with 181 potential trafficking victims in 2023 and 115 in 2022. Observers previously noted NGOs reported identifying more potential asylum-seeking trafficking victims compared to those reported by the government. Civil society called for improved screening of asylum seekers and urged law enforcement to take a more victim-centered and trauma-informed approach to victim interviews. Civil society also urged the government to involve them at the earliest stage possible in the asylum hearings to ensure victims of trafficking avoided deportation. SEM reported providing potential trafficking victims with a pamphlet on their rights and free legal advice during their hearing to determine if they were victims.

The government did not report, due to lack of collated statistics on referrals, how many newly identified victims it referred to services in 2023, compared with 37 victims reportedly referred in 2022. In 2024, the federal government allocated 800,000 Swiss francs ($883,978) to seven NGOs for victim assistance and protection efforts, the same amount as in 2023. Cantonal and municipal governments allocated additional funds for victim assistance; however, the government did not report the total amount of cantonal or municipal funding. In 2023, the most recent year for which data was available, government-funded NGOs provided assistance to 261 potential trafficking victims, of which 125 were newly identified potential victims; this compared with 177 newly identified potential victims in 2022. Victims could be referred to care by NGOs, government-operated counseling centers, government offices, foreign consulates, police and judicial authorities, health care sector employees, lawyers, and family. The government reported providing trafficking-specific counseling sessions.

Victim care varied across the cantons, and civil society continued to criticize the absence of a national victim protection program to ensure uniformity in victim care across the country, asserting this could lead to inconsistent quality of care. Victim assistance was mandatory by law, and responsibility for victim services fell to the cantons. Although all victims are entitled to the same support under law, in practice, trafficking specific services varied significantly between cantons. Twenty-five of 26 cantons had specialized shelter, while one small canton outsourced victim care to larger cantons to provide assistance. Civil society in this canton reported, in practice, potential trafficking victims at times did not receive adequate assistance or referrals due to lack of shelter in the canton. NGOs continued to raise concerns about the discrepancies between cantonal efforts to identify, assist, and protect victims, noting smaller cantons did not have the resources to properly assist victims. At least 13 cantons maintained formal referral and cooperation agreements with NGO-operated victim assistance facilities specialized in trafficking. Twenty of 26 cantons had roundtables, which coordinated victim identification and referral mechanisms. Some observers noted roundtables were a useful platform for coordination; others noted their operational effectiveness was inconsistent and said that higher-level coordination or minimum standards of reference were needed to ensure roundtables were of a consistent quality from canton to canton. The government held inter-cantonal roundtables at least once in 2024.

The Swiss Victim Assistance Law entitled all adult trafficking victims exploited in Switzerland access to government-funded shelters or assistance centers for victims of abuse and to special safeguards during criminal proceedings. The government did not report how many trafficking victims received shelter. Four government-funded NGOs operated shelters and provided specialized assistance for victims of trafficking, while two provided services to children. NGOs reported an insufficient number of shelters compared to the number of potential victims. GRETA and civil society reported the government did not have specialized shelters or assistance for child victims of trafficking, with child victims receiving services in shelters focused on abuse protection and treatment in general; options for accommodation for children varied by canton. The government housed potential trafficking victims undergoing an asylum determination process in asylum reception centers until SEM assigned them to a specialized shelter in a canton. Most cantons generally provided victims with a minimum of four weeks of emergency shelter and living allowance, several hours of consultations with a lawyer, mental health counseling and medical treatment, transportation, and translation services. If recovery required more time, the victim assistance law mandated the government assume the additional cost of longer-term care. Civil society stated services, including shelter options for male victims, were limited. The government provided male victims temporary shelter in hotels or government-funded NGO-operated shelters in at least five cantons. Victims could move freely in and out of shelters.

While victim assistance was not dependent on cooperation with law enforcement, some NGOs expressed concern authorities sometimes withheld a residence permit or financial assistance, to pressure victims into cooperating with law enforcement. NGOs reported the government provided legal aid only to victims without the means to hire a lawyer and some of the cost was given as an advance that had to be repaid at a later point. NGOs also noted authorities did not always follow trauma-informed practices; for example, officials sometimes required victims to sit in the same room as traffickers during a police interview. While NGOs confirmed trafficking victims had access to victim-witness protection programs if the government referred them, they noted victims were sometimes unaware of their entitlement. The law allowed for victim confidentiality and to testify remotely, via written testimony, or by video. The government prohibited cross-examinations for child trafficking victims, testimonies were videotaped, and authorities conducted no more than two interviews to minimize re-traumatization.

The government could issue residence permits to foreign victims; however, authorities did not report granting any long-term residence permits in 2024. NGOs reported cantonal differences in how frequently authorities issued residence permits, which are necessary for foreign victims to work. Cantonal immigration authorities were required to grant victims a minimum 30-day reflection period to decide whether to participate in judicial proceedings against traffickers, but longer stays generally required cooperation with law enforcement. During the reflection period, victims were able to obtain victim protection and assistance services from NGOs. Foreign victims who were willing to cooperate with law enforcement could be granted, for the duration of the investigation and criminal proceedings, up to a one-year residence permit, after which victims were required to depart the country. The government could also grant long-term residence permits, also known as hardship visas, which were mainly used for cases where there was a significant risk of re-trafficking, although the government did not report providing long-term residence permits. NGOs asserted the uncertainty around whether victims were permitted to stay in Switzerland following an investigation disincentivized victims from collaborating with authorities. NGOs stated victims who gave unclear statements to law enforcement due to trauma suffered were often denied residence permits.

Civil society previously reported unaccompanied children disappeared from asylum centers, increasing their vulnerability to trafficking. GRETA urged the government to address the lack of adequate accommodation and supervision for unaccompanied children. NGOs and GRETA continued to report asylum accommodations and psychological counseling in asylum centers were inappropriate and insufficient for assisting trafficking victims due to the lack of specialized training for staff. The guide on accommodation requirements for asylum-seekers at federal asylum centers remained pending for the third consecutive reporting period. GRETA noted cantons often did not transfer victims detected in the asylum system to specialized trafficking victim support centers because of financial constraints and instead continued to host them in asylum centers.

Foreign victims of trafficking exploited outside of Switzerland were not entitled to the same range of assistance services under the Swiss Victim Assistance Act as victims exploited in the country; rather, they did not receive specialized care but only minimal assistance to prevent hardship under other laws. NGOs and GRETA reported the government did not uniformly provide even this minimal assistance for foreign victims and urged authorities to ensure all victims, including those exploited abroad, receive adequate protection services.

The government lacked comprehensive statistics on restitution and damages awarded to victims and did not require prosecutors to systematically request restitution during criminal trials. Victims could obtain restitution through criminal proceedings or be awarded compensation. In 2024, the government did not report awarding any restitution or compensation. GRETA and civil society noted restitution amounts were insufficient, and the process was often lengthy with few victims receiving the full amount. Although the government screened for trafficking victims, NGOs asserted due to inadequate screening, authorities did not take effective measures to prevent the inappropriate penalization of potential victims for unlawful acts committed as direct result of being trafficked, including with victims frequently fined or charged with petty crimes, in violation of local commercial sex regulations, or in violation of immigration and labor laws. Civil society urged the government to involve them at the earliest stages possible, particularly in cases of labor exploitation or those involving asylum-seekers, to ensure authorities did not continue to inappropriately penalize victims. NGOs and GRETA continued to urge the government to adopt a specific provision on the non-punishment of trafficking victims, in addition to the general clause on non-punishment contained in the Swiss criminal code; however, the government has not yet adopted such a provision. The government maintained a guide for prosecutors on how to apply the criminal code’s general non-punishment clause in trafficking cases; however, a 2024 report found multiple instances where authorities did not apply the non-punishment principle in practice.

The government maintained prevention efforts.

Under FedPol, the Specialist Unit Against the Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (FSMM) coordinated national efforts, including anti-trafficking policies, information exchange, cooperation, and training. NGOs and experts asserted insufficient personnel and funding hindered FSMM’s ability to coordinate national anti-trafficking efforts across all 26 cantons. The federal coordinating body led by FSMM, the National Expert Group to Combat Human Trafficking, convened once in 2024. In 2025, FSMM convened the heads of the cantonal anti-trafficking roundtables. Civil society and GRETA previously reported a lack of a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in the FSMM. The government remained without an official independent national anti-trafficking rapporteur. The government continued to implement its 2023-2027 NAP, which required cantons to set up roundtables, resource victim care, and seek to improve victim protections across all cantons. However, the NAP did not include a specific budget for its activities, which civil society noted impeded implementation. In 2024, the government continued to partially fund an NGO-operated national anti-trafficking hotline with 55,000 Swiss francs ($60,773) compared with 53,000 Swiss francs ($58,563) in 2023. Another government-funded NGO operated a 24-hour hotline that could refer suspected victims of trafficking. The government, both independently and in partnership with civil society, conducted various awareness campaigns targeting young professionals, financial intermediaries, and health care and nail sectors. The government published various reports, including on financial investigations and trends, and held workshops on best practices on victim identification. The government extended temporary protective status through March 2026 for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war, a population highly vulnerable to trafficking. Authorities reported identifying at least 18 potential victims from Ukraine since 2022 and monitored an online platform for commercial sex for potential sex trafficking victims from Ukraine or Russia.

Insufficient personnel and resources hampered labor inspections. The government did not report how many labor inspections it conducted in 2024. Labor inspectors lacked the legal authority to formally identify victims; however, if inspectors did identify any potential victims, they were required to refer potential trafficking cases to police. The government reported regular training for labor inspectors; however, GRETA’s most recent report urged Swiss authorities to increase labor inspectors’ capacity to detect victims of trafficking, including in high-risk sectors. Swiss labor law did not prohibit worker-paid recruitment fees; some Swiss employment agencies charged a registration or placement fee to employees, which could increase their vulnerability to trafficking through debt bondage. Although the direct placement of foreign workers in Switzerland was illegal, the government did not report any agreements with other countries on safe and responsible labor recruitment to Switzerland. Third country nationals from non-EU countries, including those with short-term residence permits or work permits from another country, required approval from the government before changing employers, increasing their vulnerability to trafficking. The government continued the Swiss Forum on Business and Human Rights and training courses on forced labor in supply chains. Swiss law required companies in Switzerland, and their subsidiaries abroad with more than 500 employees, to publish yearly reports on the risk of forced labor in their supply chains. The government launched a consultation for proposals on due diligence legislation; however, no legislation passed by the end of the reporting period.

The government continued to fund NGOs and foreign countries’ anti-trafficking efforts and a prevention project for Ukrainian refugees. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for participation in extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation by Swiss nationals or permanent residents, despite allegations of such actions by its citizens in recent years. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training to its troops prior to their deployment as peacekeepers.

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 Switzerland. Traffickers increasingly use online platforms to recruit and exploit victims in sex and labor trafficking and book apartment rentals to make their illicit operations difficult to track. Traffickers increasingly target and exploit victims online, and online sexual exploitation of children, including sex trafficking, is increasing. Authorities note an increase in escorts, which made monitoring for sex trafficking more difficult as victims move locations rather than staying in one establishment. Refugees, predominantly women and children, fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war, are vulnerable to trafficking. Traffickers are frequently family members, friends, or romantic partners, as well as agencies offering fraudulent employment. Traffickers are both Swiss and foreign nationals; foreign traffickers often exploit victims of the same nationality. Although the vast majority of traffickers are male, female traffickers are not uncommon, especially women from Nigeria and Thailand. Sex traffickers exploit foreign and Swiss women, children, and those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Traffickers use debt-based coercion, threats to immigration status, or drug addiction as forms of non-physical coercion. Traffickers in Switzerland at times receive support from well-organized criminal structures abroad that commit human trafficking in conjunction with other serious crimes, such as drug trafficking. Traffickers increasingly exploit victims from Thailand and Vietnam, including in the nail industry. Swiss nationals continue to engage in extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation. Young male traffickers use romance scams to coerce vulnerable Swiss and foreign national girls and women into sex trafficking, often by presenting a sham romantic relationship. The majority of foreign trafficking victims identified by the government are from Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, with increasing numbers from China, Nigeria, and Thailand, but also Latin America, including Colombia. Traffickers fraudulently recruit and later coerce Nigerian women and girls to stay in exploitative situations by forcing them to swear a “voodoo oath”. Traffickers often force female victims from Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Brazil, the Philippines, and Nigeria into sex trafficking and domestic servitude. Many trafficking victims are asylum-seekers who sought protection in Switzerland and who are at risk for re-trafficking. Labor traffickers exploit victims in domestic service, health care, agriculture, hospitality, nail salons, catering, postal courier services, construction, agriculture, cleaning, tourism, transport, and in forced criminal activity, including petty crimes and drug trafficking. Traffickers exploit male asylum-seekers, primarily from Afghanistan and Eritrea, in forced labor. Forced begging, especially among the Roma communities, continues to increase.