• Increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, under the trafficking statute, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
• Improve the quality of trafficking investigations, particularly of labor trafficking cases by training investigators and prosecutors on evidence collection and applying anti-trafficking laws.
• Proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including children.
• Train officials involved in judicial proceedings, particularly judges, on understanding all aspects of trafficking.
• Ensure all victims have full, unconditional access to assistance, regardless of participation in law enforcement proceedings.
• Train authorities and front-line personnel on the implementation of the NRM.
• 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.
• Expand access and availability to shelters for all male trafficking victims and establish specialized housing for trafficking victims.
• Adopt and implement the new NAP.
• Develop procedures for labor inspections, clearly outlining roles and responsibilities for participating agencies.

The government maintained anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts.

Chapter 4, Section 1a of the Penal Code criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of two to 10 years’ imprisonment, which were sufficiently stringent and, with regard to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. Chapter 4, Section 1b criminalized a lesser crime of “human exploitation,” which included the exploitation of individuals for labor or begging, and prescribed penalties of up to four years’ imprisonment; these penalties were also sufficiently stringent. Chapter 6, Section 9 criminalized the purchase of commercial sex acts from a child and prescribed penalties of up to four years’ imprisonment. During the reporting period, the government enacted amendments to the criminal code extending the statute of limitations from 15 years to 25 years for trafficking crimes, thereby providing authorities with additional time to investigate and prosecute such crimes.

The National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) functioned as the government’s body of expertise within the judicial system, conducting research, evaluating reforms, supporting crime prevention work, and producing official statistics. According to Brå, in 2024, police investigated 349 trafficking and human exploitation cases (93 sex trafficking, 200 labor trafficking, and 56 unspecified forms of trafficking), compared with 344 investigations in 2023. Authorities prosecuted 20 alleged traffickers (10 sex trafficking, five labor trafficking, and five unspecified forms of trafficking), a decrease from 37 prosecutions in 2023. Courts convicted four traffickers (three sex trafficking and one labor trafficking), the same number of convictions as in 2023. Courts issued prison sentences of two years and six months for two convicted traffickers, suspended sentences for two traffickers, and fines for all four, compared with fines and suspended sentences for convicted traffickers in 2023. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes. Swedish authorities regularly participated in international operations and cooperated on trafficking investigations with foreign governments, including a labor trafficking case that resulted in a conviction and a Joint Investigation Team with Finnish authorities involving Thai berry pickers. Additionally, the government participated in a EUROPOL-led hackathon on online human trafficking. In 2024, the government funded and hosted a workshop during which the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS) launched a project for the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine; the workshop brought together investigators from law enforcement agencies across the region, Ukraine, EUROPOL, and Frontex, to address challenges and regional best practices in investigating human trafficking, particularly cross-border cases and cooperation. The project aimed to strengthen the expertise and investigative capacity of law enforcement agencies in the region and Ukraine. 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 developed a police network composed of Nordic police officers cooperating on cross-border investigations, exchanging information, and conducting trainings on investigating trafficking cases. In addition, Sweden maintained Nordic liaison officers at the Swedish embassies and consulates in China, Colombia, Germany, Kosovo, Serbia, Thailand, and Türkiye.

The national police commissioner led the Police Authority, which was responsible for investigating trafficking cases, and acted as the national trafficking rapporteur, investigating, monitoring, and analyzing the scope of human trafficking in Sweden. Within the Police Authority, five of the seven police regions maintained specialized trafficking investigators in the international and organized crime units. In the region of Bergslagen, a dedicated anti-trafficking unit investigated trafficking cases, and, in the southern region, the Border Police investigated trafficking crimes. The Stockholm district police maintained a specialized unit focused on investigating commercial sex crimes, including sex trafficking. At the national level, the National Police’s Department of National Operations (NOA) investigated human trafficking crimes through intelligence operations and in collaboration with police, other law enforcement agencies, and foreign authorities and assisted police throughout Sweden on child sex trafficking cases. The National Police’s specialized cybercrime unit maintained a child protection team that was responsible for investigating and prosecuting technology-related crimes, including the online sexual exploitation of children. The Prosecutor’s Office maintained specialized prosecutors who worked on trafficking cases, among other cases, such as organized or cross-border crime, as well as analysts and accountants who conducted financial investigations of trafficking cases. The Prosecutor’s Office appointed a prosecutor as the national expert to coordinate trafficking-related training and cooperation among prosecutors nationwide. The initial classification of a crime determined whether a specialized prosecutor worked on a trafficking case; for example, regional prosecutors, who did not have anti-trafficking training, could be assigned cases classified as “human exploitation” that could have elements of trafficking.

The Prosecutor’s Office and civil society reported the high burden of proof required for trafficking cases sometimes led to changing charges against traffickers, noting insufficient evidence collection led to authorities charging traffickers with “procurement for sexual purposes” instead of sex trafficking. Moreover, shortcomings in the police’s ability to identify and investigate trafficking crimes, particularly labor trafficking crimes, led police to closing investigations quickly or refusing to further investigate, which impeded efforts to pursue prosecutions. Experts continued to raise concerns about the low number of prosecutions and convictions in trafficking cases, particularly labor trafficking cases. Furthermore, civil society expressed concern courts had difficulty understanding the current trafficking statute and a lack of guiding case law led to inconsistent handling of trafficking cases in the lower courts. Civil society noted, in general, there was a lack of knowledge among authorities about human trafficking and what to do when they encountered it. To address some of these concerns, the government appointed a committee to review criminal punishments and sentences, including for trafficking crimes, to ensure the range of punishments reflected the seriousness of the crimes and the sentences imposed were reasonable and fair, and to propose amendments to the law. Furthermore, the Prosecution Development Centre provided guidelines on investigative techniques and understanding human trafficking and human exploitation statutes. In addition, to address knowledge gaps, various institutions conducted anti-trafficking trainings and workshops, including on enforcing anti-trafficking policies and laws, for police, prosecutors, border guards, and front-line personnel. The Police Authority continued to offer all employees interactive training on child trafficking and online training on identifying victims and investigating cases. However civil society reported training efforts were often inadequate and did not reach all necessary stakeholders.

The government increased victim protection efforts.

In 2024, the Swedish Migration Agency (SMA) identified 680 potential trafficking victims (119 sex trafficking, 531 labor trafficking, and 30 unspecified forms of trafficking) among asylum-seekers, a multi-year increase from 598 in 2023 and 515 in 2022. The SMA noted some victims were subject to multiple forms of trafficking. Of the 680 potential victims, 209 were foreign labor trafficking victims. The SMA identified 14 potential child trafficking victims, compared with 20 in 2023. The SMA provided guidelines with trafficking indicators for screening potential victims, particularly among vulnerable groups, such as children, and procedures to identify and refer victims. Separately, GEA, which managed anti-trafficking efforts for the government, maintained statistics on identified victims. Double counting occurred across agencies. In 2024, GEA regional coordinators identified 430 potential trafficking victims, a multi-year increase from 404 in 2023 and 367 in 2022. However, GEA identified 22 child trafficking victims, a multi-year decrease from 35 in 2023 and 54 in 2022.

The NRM standardized victim identification, referral, and assistance; defined the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders; and included separate procedures for child trafficking victims. In 2024, GEA developed guidelines for the NRM and conducted training sessions on implementation, including on recognizing child sex trafficking for professionals working with children, such as social workers and teachers. According to NGOs, the NRM was ineffective and rarely used in practice and knowledge and implementation remained uneven across the country and among different professions. For instance, the police reported it did not implement the NRM consistently or systematically, citing its use in approximately 10 percent of cases nationwide. Experts also reported police did not proactively identify potential victims among vulnerable groups and focused on the deportation of some foreign victims without screening for trafficking indicators. NGOs attributed police officers’ limited knowledge of trafficking indicators to poor identification and recommended further training on identifying indicators and potential victims and on the subsequent implementation of victim services. Furthermore, NGOs noted there was no opportunity to build and manage expertise within the police, social services, and the Prosecutor’s Office and much of the identification work and knowledge of the NRM was dependent on GEA regional coordinators – specialized professionals, typically social workers, conducting outreach, implementing training, and assisting police with trafficking cases and victims with services. NGOs also noted the NRM did not have a strong enough focus on labor trafficking. To boost identification, in 2024, the Helsingborg and Lund municipalities worked with an NGO to establish a network of local stakeholders to increase identification and victim support, which resulted in 30 identified victims.

Municipalities, in collaboration with NGOs and other government agencies, were the primary providers of victim services, including medical and psychological care, shelter, and social assistance. Municipalities funded victim services, and the government subsequently reimbursed the expenses. The government did not report the amount of funding provided to municipalities. NGOs reported the quality of care varied across municipalities and relied on professionals with expertise in trauma to assist victims. To ensure better quality of care, in 2024, the government enacted amendments to the Social Services Act requiring all shelters to obtain a license from the Health and Social Care Inspectorate and undergo an inspection. Although the country did not have shelters dedicated solely to trafficking victims, some municipalities ran women’s shelters offering services to victims of violence, including sex trafficking victims. Civil society reported inconsistent support available to male labor trafficking victims as not every municipality provided accommodation or basic needs. Several shelters accommodated male adult sex trafficking victims, but only two accepted male victims regardless of the type of trafficking. The government permanently allocated 150 million Swedish krona (SEK) ($13.63 million) annually toward women’s and girl’s shelters and NGOs supporting victims of violence, including trafficking. GEA led a network of approximately 40 NGO-run safe houses offering services to sex trafficking victims. In 2024, GEA allocated 3.2 million SEK ($290,750) to the national support program (NSP) – a civil society platform representing NGOs assisting trafficking victims – the same amount as in 2023. The NSP complemented the services provided through the NRM; offered assistance to victims who, in their current state, did not have a right to assistance through the formal system; and supported a 30-day reflection period for victims to decide if they would participate in criminal proceedings. The NSP also provided accommodation for trafficking victims and their families. NGOs continued to criticize that funding of the NSP was insufficient, only covering a fraction of the number of identified victims and called for sustainable funding to ensure protection and support for all victims, underscoring that the NSP was the only possibility to support and protect victims without a residence permit as access to services depended on victims’ residential status as Swedish citizens. NGOs also criticized the limited amount of time (up to 120 days) for victims to receive government-funded services, including shelter, made it difficult to assist victims for the long term and recommended extending the reflection period to enable more trafficking victims access to assistance.

Authorities referred child victims to child protection services officials, who placed them in foster care or group housing. Experts reported knowledge and resources among child protection services varied across municipalities and expressed concern child trafficking in Sweden was underreported, noting authorities did not always detect potential child trafficking cases or investigate cases involving children exploited in commercial sex as sex trafficking. Furthermore, authorities lacked procedures for assisting and supporting unaccompanied children, who were vulnerable to trafficking. In 2024, the government conducted a forum to increase awareness, cooperation, and expertise on child trafficking and criminal networks and tasked Brå and GEA to examine the nexus. The government also tasked GEA and the Ombudsman for Children to examine how authorities apply laws against violence against children, including human trafficking and exploitation in criminal networks, in practice and how that impacts children’s rights. In recent years, the government enacted a new provision criminalizing the act of involving children in criminal activity. However, Swedish law did not include a specific provision on the non-punishment of trafficking victims; NGOs expressed concern the absence of such a provision did not protect all children recruited to criminal networks and subjected to forced criminal activity from being inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Swedish law allowed authorities to waive prosecution if a victim committed a crime as a direct result of being trafficked, and the Prosecutor’s Office provided guidelines that minor crimes committed under these circumstances should not be prosecuted. Nonetheless, experts and government representatives reported authorities arrested or detained some trafficking victims, particularly foreign nationals forced into criminality, in commercial sex, or without legal residence, identified through workplace inspections and recommended training on the principle of non-punishment.

The law did not stipulate that trafficking victims had to cooperate with authorities in order to participate in the welfare system; however, in practice, the government required foreign victims without residence to cooperate with authorities to receive assistance other than emergency medical care. The Aliens Act entitled foreign victims without residence to a renewable six-month temporary residence permit based on participation in criminal proceedings or a 30-day reflection period to contemplate participation in criminal proceedings, during which they were eligible for assistance and emergency financial aid. Investigators, prosecutors, and municipal social welfare boards could apply for a 30-day reflection period on behalf of foreign victims. In 2024, the SMA granted 79 temporary residence permits for trafficking victims (84 permits in 2023), which allowed foreign victims to seek employment. The government allowed victims who assisted in the investigation of a trafficker to remain in Sweden for the duration of the criminal proceedings; however, if an investigation ceased, the government deported victims without legal residence. Consequently, the threat of deportation prevented some victims from reporting trafficking crimes. Child victims could receive support at Barnahus – a multidisciplinary center offering a coordinated, child-sensitive approach to preventing re-traumatization during criminal proceedings. The government assigned a legal representative to provide some victims with support and assistance throughout criminal proceedings. Swedish law entitled victims to receive restitution from traffickers as part of criminal proceedings, as well as file civil suits for financial compensation. In 2024, courts ordered traffickers to pay approximately 1.62 million SEK ($147,190) in compensation to victims.

The government increased prevention efforts.

As the national trafficking coordinator, GEA managed anti-trafficking efforts for the government, assigned 16 specialized regional coordinators, ensured implementation of the NAP, and led the national anti-trafficking task force. The task force comprised representatives from authorities on trafficking issues and functioned as a strategic resource developing and streamlining cooperation between government agencies and other stakeholders. The task force created relevant educational material, conducted training, and managed, in cooperation with an international organization, a voluntary return and reintegration program for the safe return of trafficking victims. In 2024, GEA allocated 6.5 million SEK ($590,590) to the program, a significant increase from 4 million SEK ($363.440) in 2023. In addition, the government maintained a working group, with representatives from several ministries, to coordinate domestic and international anti-trafficking policy. The government continued to implement its current NAP, which focused on combating and preventing commercial sex and trafficking and providing better protection and support for those vulnerable to trafficking, and, in 2024, developed a new NAP that awaited adoption and implementation. Furthermore, in 2024, the government adopted a new comprehensive action program to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, including trafficking, and allocated 527 million SEK ($47.88 million) for implementation. The government also included trafficking as part of several other policies and programs, such as its gender equality policy and programs to combat honor-based violence, among others, and allocated substantial funding toward implementing related initiatives. Throughout the year, GEA published several reports and provided recommendations to the government on combating trafficking. To complement domestic efforts, the government supported several international anti-trafficking initiatives, including continuing to participate in the CBSS anti-trafficking task force, working to strengthen and improve anti-trafficking policies in the region, consolidating expertise from the national level with the international level, and exchanging information on efforts and best practices.

In 2024, the GEA conducted several awareness campaigns and educational programs on the risks of trafficking through information sessions and social media, including an online campaign on safe travel abroad and a seminar on preventing the sexual exploitation of children. While there was no dedicated hotline for trafficking victims, a Swedish university operated a national helpline that supported women victims of violence, including sex trafficking. Separately, the GEA operated a national helpline for authorities, municipal workers, and NGOs to receive guidance on trafficking and exploitation. Additionally, the government allocated 7 million SEK ($636,020) to the National Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence Against Women to operate three helplines available to trafficking victims. NGOs continued to express the need for a 24-hour national helpline dedicated to assisting and providing information to trafficking victims and those vulnerable, including foreign workers, on all forms of trafficking. GEA continued to strengthen its work to combat the sexual exploitation of children, including child sex trafficking, and, in 2024, in collaboration with the Police Authority, conducted a workshop to strengthen protection measures for child victims and published its findings online. The government maintained a website with information on sex trafficking and a website with information on child sex trafficking, resources available to victims, and a way to report suspected cases. NOA handled investigations involving Swedish citizens suspected of extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation and abuse. The National Police’s child protection team trained travel agencies to detect and report extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation and abuse. The government made efforts to reduce the demand for participation in extraterritorial sexual exploitation and abuse by its citizens by conducting an awareness campaign aimed at encouraging Swedes traveling to Asia to report suspected cases of child sexual exploitation to the police.

The Ambassador to Combat Trafficking in Persons focused on international cooperation with an emphasis on sex trafficking and reducing demand. While the position was occupied for a portion of the reporting period, it was vacant from February 1, 2024, through the end of the year. In 2024, the government made efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts by continuing to implement its law criminalizing the purchase of sexual acts from a child (Chapter 6, Sections 9 and 11). In addition, GEA maintained specialized treatment centers, offering counseling for buyers of commercial sex, which municipal social services managed in seven locations around the country. In collaboration with several county administrative boards, GEA continued conducting a five-year study across all seven centers, assessing potential long-term effects of counseling to achieve behavioral change among men who exploited women in commercial sex and documenting methods and themes used in treatment, with an end date of 2025. The study showed a decrease in purchases of commercial sex and improved health among clients in one center. The government also funded a regional project addressing the demand across the Baltic Sea Region. Additionally, in 2024, GEA funded a two-day study visit in Stockholm for youth representatives from the Baltic Sea Region and the OSCE to strengthen regional efforts to combat trafficking, focusing on the demand for commercial sex across the Baltic Sea Region.

Authorities and NGOs acknowledged labor trafficking was an increasing problem, especially for seasonal workers, such as berry pickers, and vulnerable migrants. Experts recommended increased awareness among the public and better interagency coordination to facilitate the identification of labor trafficking cases, as no one agency was responsible for the issue and the current structure among agencies was somewhat siloed. In 2024, GEA established a pilot project to strengthen national coordination to combat labor trafficking in the berry industry and conducted forums for authorities and stakeholders to share information and develop working methods to address the issue. To combat work-related crimes, including labor trafficking, the government maintained a national task force that collaborated with unions and trade organizations, provided training on how to recognize victims, developed educational outreach, and conducted workplace inspections. In 2024, the government continued to implement a national strategy to combat labor trafficking and work-related crime. The government also extended the assignment of nine government agencies to combat work-related crime, including labor trafficking, until the end of 2026; through the assignment, seven regional centers acted as hubs for the agencies to cooperate on joint workplace inspections and other activities. Along with representatives from the nine agencies, regional coordinators participated in the work at the centers. While experts welcomed the establishment of these centers, they noted labor inspections were convoluted with multiple different agencies involved; the Labor Work Authority did not take the lead on inspections; and there was no clear labor trafficking mandate. Furthermore, civil society noted most authorities focused on violations in the work environment, tax violations, and business bans. Civil society recommended the presence of local social services during every joint workplace inspection to facilitate the identification of trafficking victims and safeguard their rights. In 2024, GEA continued to collaborate with the CBSS on a five-year project educating foreign workers from Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine on the risks of labor trafficking. Within the framework of the project, GEA conducted research studies on sex and labor trafficking and published a report. Authorities continued to conduct mandatory interviews with foreign workers employed in at-risk sectors who were seeking to extend their work permits. The SMA conducted background checks on companies employing foreign workers and occasionally denied work visas in cases where employment contracts did not meet the necessary requirements. In addition, the SMA maintained a coordinator focused on anti-trafficking efforts; ensured employers fulfilled worker agreements and workers did not pay recruitment fees; trained migration agents on identifying trafficking victims; and provided a manual on recognizing trafficking indicators. In 2024, the government participated in two research projects with the Governments of Finland and Norway 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.

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 Sweden, and, to a lesser extent, traffickers exploit victims from Sweden abroad. Populations vulnerable to trafficking include children; migrants; persons who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; persons with intellectual disabilities, psychological conditions, and/or alcohol or drug addiction; and persons socially and economically disadvantaged. Most victims originate from Africa, East Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Typically, traffickers exploit victims of their same nationality and are often part of criminal networks engaged in multiple criminal activities, although reports indicate cases involve traffickers who are family members or have no ties to organized crime. Traffickers increasingly use technology, including social media, dating websites, and videochat, to recruit victims, particularly children, through fake job advertisements and exploit victims in commercial sex. Unaccompanied children and children living in institutions remain especially vulnerable to trafficking. Criminal networks subject children, particularly boys, to forced criminal activity, typically acts of violence. Most sex trafficking cases involve children and women from West Africa and Eastern Europe. Reports indicate a rise in cases involving women from South America with nearly half of identified sex trafficking victims in 2024 coming from the region. For the second year in a row, the number of labor trafficking cases continues to increase. Traffickers exploit victims of labor trafficking, who largely originate from Eastern Europe, South and Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, in the agriculture, cleaning, construction, green, and service industries. At times, employers or contractors providing labor seize the passports of foreign workers and withhold their pay and workers experience low salaries, lack of official employment contracts, and poor living situations – all key indicators of trafficking. The SMA notes increased exploitation in the private delivery industry, such as messengers and food delivery drivers who work under conditions that violate Swedish labor laws. Seasonal berry pickers from Bulgaria and Thailand remain highly vulnerable to labor trafficking. Traffickers also exploit citizens of Thailand, mostly young women, in sex trafficking and forced labor in massage parlors. Cases of forced begging and forced criminality among Roma, primarily from Bulgaria and Romania, have decreased; however, individuals remain vulnerable. Authorities and NGOs report Swedes traveling abroad to the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia for the purpose of extraterritorial commercial child sexual exploitation and abuse is prevalent. Thousands of refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war remain highly vulnerable to trafficking.