• Proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among vulnerable populations, including children and third-country nationals.
• Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, under the trafficking statute, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.
• Train police on investigating trafficking cases, collecting evidence, and applying trafficking laws.
• Retain staff and resources of police anti-trafficking units to effectively investigate trafficking cases.
• Establish an NRM and victim identification procedures that standardize victim identification, referral, and assistance; define the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders; and strengthen overall data collection.
• Create a central repository for publicly available information on victim identification and assistance data, including on child trafficking victims, and investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing data for trafficking crimes.
• Adopt and implement the new national strategy.
• Train authorities to consistently implement the existing non-punishment provisions in the criminal code, and ensure trafficking victims are not inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked.

The government slightly increased anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts.

Sections 257 and 258 of the penal code criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to six years’ imprisonment for crimes involving adult victims and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for those involving child victims. These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with penalties for other grave crimes, such as rape.

Police investigated 19 trafficking cases (six sex trafficking, 12 labor trafficking, and one unspecified form of trafficking), marking the fewest number of investigations since 2007 and a multi-year decline from 27 in 2023 and 32 in 2022. Authorities prosecuted and convicted three traffickers (two sex trafficking and one labor trafficking), an increase from zero prosecutions and convictions in 2023. Sentences ranged from five years’ imprisonment to 15 years’ imprisonment. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes. The Norwegian government regularly collaborated with other European governments at national and local levels to pursue investigations and prosecutions of alleged traffickers. 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 2024, the police collaborated with EUROPOL and INTERPOL to implement measures for detecting and prosecuting online child trafficking cases. In addition, the government maintained a liaison officer in the Philippines to increase cooperation on cases of online exploitation of children. Domestically, the National Cybercrime Center at Kripos maintained a unit focused on internet crimes against children, including the online sexual exploitation of children. The center assisted police districts, conducted cybercrime investigations, and developed police expertise and methods in the field.

All 12 police districts maintained dedicated anti-trafficking units responsible for investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases. The number of investigators comprising each unit varied on the size of the district. Units operated in divisions with organized crime units, used the same investigative methods throughout the country, and had access to the same technical support. Staffing changes among police, such as transfers from anti-trafficking units to other investigative units to fill gaps, reduced focus on and knowledge of trafficking and anti-trafficking laws in some districts. Observers raised concerns these changes impeded investigations and prosecutions and led to fewer identified victims. Experts criticized police for lacking the will and knowledge to investigate trafficking cases, leading to a dearth of investigations and case law. According to the Ministry of Justice, limited capacity impacted authorities’ ability to conduct anti-trafficking activities, including investigating complex cases. Government officials and NGO representatives noted forced labor continued to be a concern. Most suspected forced labor cases resulted in prosecutions on lesser charges of “social dumping,” whereby workers were given unacceptably low wages or unreasonable working conditions, such as long hours or inadequate living quarters, that were substandard compared to the law, because the burden of proof was difficult to meet and officials did not have a good understanding of forced labor. As in previous years, investigators and prosecutors continued to charge traffickers with non-trafficking crimes, such as drug trafficking and “pimping,” which subsequently barred victims from access to specific rights, such as legal aid. Experts attributed charging traffickers with non-trafficking crimes to insufficient evidence collection and authorities’ lack of expertise and knowledge. Officials noted authorities struggled charging traffickers under the trafficking statute because meeting the burden of proof was difficult, citing cases of online exploitation as particularly challenging to prosecute because traffickers hid traces of their crime via anonymous servers and other technological defenses.

The National Criminal Investigation Service maintained a national group of experts, consisting mostly of investigators and prosecutors, aimed at increasing understanding and knowledge of trafficking in the Norwegian Police Authority. The group’s responsibilities included sharing knowledge between police and prosecutors, developing working methods and anti-trafficking efforts, and advancing cooperation with relevant stakeholders. The group also maintained a specific focus on detecting and preventing the exploitation, including trafficking, of Ukrainian refugees. Furthermore, the group published information on professional and methodological approaches to human trafficking on the police’s national knowledge portal. In 2024, the group specifically focused on organized networks from South America and the Thai massage industry, conducting joint national action days to prevent and detect trafficking and identify potential victims. The group and KOM, the agency for coordinating efforts between authorities and relevant organizations, organized several seminars and trainings throughout the year for stakeholders from national and municipal levels, the health care sector, civil society, and academia on various topics, such as identifying victims and understanding regional trends.

The government slightly increased victim protection efforts.

In 2024, KOM published an annual report on human trafficking with information on victim identification and assistance but did not disaggregate data for identified victims. Per the report, authorities identified 97 trafficking victims in 2024, a notable decrease from 120 victims in 2023, and assisted 183 trafficking victims (110 sex trafficking, 56 labor trafficking, 17 other or unspecified forms of trafficking), including all victims identified in 2024, compared with 216 victims assisted in 2023. The report indicated authorities identified and assisted eight child trafficking victims. The vast majority of assisted victims were foreign national women. Reports indicated two sex trafficking cases involving Norwegian child victims and one labor trafficking case involving a Norwegian man with disabilities. For the past eight years, the government delayed developing an NRM, which experts asserted would standardize victim identification, referral, and assistance; strengthen overall data collection; and define the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders. According to experts, the absence of an NRM led to a fragmented structure and unclear roles and responsibilities for the many actors who came into contact with trafficking victims. While KOM and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MOJ) initiated processes to establish an NRM, none resulted in a mutually agreed upon proposal by various stakeholders. NGOs reported stakeholders had different agendas when it came to content and outcomes and some feared being restricted by specific roles in an NRM. Nonetheless, at the end of the reporting period, KOM and the MOJ continued the process. In 2024, KOM published national guidelines for identifying trafficking victims and referring them to assistance and trained social workers on implementation; the guidelines included child trafficking-related information. The guidelines also included information on trafficking indicators and were available online for authorities, such as police, labor inspectors, and child protection services, as well as civil society.

The government provided services to foreign and domestic victims through municipal crisis centers and government-funded NGOs. Services encompassed legal aid, medical assistance, psychological care, stipends for food, and accommodations, which included specialized centers and three fully funded specialized shelters for trafficking victims, of which one was for male trafficking victims. NGOs reported the need for additional shelters as existing ones were at capacity. In 2024, the government allocated 18 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) ($1.59 million) toward the shelters, an increase from 16 million NOK ($1.41 million) in 2023. Oslo’s Labor and Social Affairs Department maintained Human Trafficking Support Oslo to assist and support adult victims, including foreign victims, in a six-month reflection period. During the reflection period, victims received legal assistance, health care services, shelter, and other necessary support. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) maintained a trafficking unit that identified trafficking victims and processed applications for those interested in a six-month reflection period to determine whether they would participate in criminal proceedings and apply for a residence permit or asylum in Norway. The law permitted residency to victims who testified in a criminal case regardless of whether it was prosecuted as a trafficking case or another crime. In 2024, authorities granted a reflection period to 17 victims (10 in 2023) and temporary residence permits of up to 12 months to nine victims (10 in 2023). Authorities granted eight residence permits to potential victims (six in 2023) based on protection status. Observers raised concerns police focused on an individual’s lack of residence permit or immigration documentation than screening them for trafficking indicators, resulting in the deportation of potential victims. Furthermore, observers criticized authorities for failing to screen potential trafficking victims during deportation proceedings and deporting potential witnesses of trafficking crimes. UDI’s trafficking unit and an international organization implemented a return and reintegration project for potential trafficking victims; in 2024, the project ensured the safe return of two potential victims.

The Child Welfare Act required Child Welfare Services (CWS) to temporarily place all potential child victims in an institution or shelter for six weeks at a time and up to six months, for their protection and care, and without consent, if authorities considered them at risk for human trafficking. Human Trafficking Support Oslo – a unit within the Labor and Social Welfare Directorate’s Oslo branch that identified and assisted trafficking victims in Oslo – maintained a shelter for child trafficking victims. CWS assisted all identified child trafficking victims regardless of citizenship under the auspices of the Directorate for Children, Youth, and Family Affairs’ national guidance trafficking unit. The unit worked to improve procedures to identify child victims, support coordination among government authorities, and provide training and capacity-building activities. In 2024, the unit conducted several seminars and participated in events and projects, focusing on topics related to child trafficking, for CWS employees and various stakeholders working in the field. CWS provided child trafficking victims support, such as interviews and medical examinations, at Barnehus – multidisciplinary centers (11 throughout Norway) offering a coordinated, child-sensitive approach to preventing re-traumatization during criminal proceedings. An NGO expressed concern child trafficking statistics did not accurately reflect the number of victims in country. The government acknowledged the need for a better system to collect statistics on child trafficking victims to strengthen reporting and child protection measures. To assist with the identification and investigation of child trafficking cases, the government maintained procedures for cooperation among police, immigration authorities, and CWS.

The government maintained 16 centers providing victims participating in criminal proceedings with guidance and support, including assistance applying for compensation and legal advice. The law entitled trafficking victims to financial compensation from traffickers and to three hours of free legal aid, regardless of income or immigration status, to consider applying for a reflection period. Due to inadequate inconsistent screening among vulnerable populations, the government did not take effective measures to prevent the inappropriate penalization, including deportation, of potential victims solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Experts reported an increased awareness of the non-punishment principle, especially among border police, but raised concerns authorities did not consistently implement existing non-punishment provisions in the criminal code Under Section 62a of the Criminal Procedure Act, prosecutors could reduce or remit penalties in cases involving more grave crimes; however, experts reported some prosecutors believed individuals could not be compelled to commit a crime and were, thus, unwilling to implement this practice. The Norwegian Correctional Service continued collaborating with an NGO and lawyer to identify potential victims penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked in prisons but did not identify any such victims in 2024.

The government increased prevention efforts. The MOJ coordinated the government’s anti-trafficking efforts and led an inter-ministerial working group composed of representatives from seven ministries. The group facilitated information sharing, developed anti-trafficking activities and action items, and ensured implementation of the NAP in collaboration with KOM and other relevant stakeholders. In 2024, the government began developing a new national strategy – the most recent NAP was adopted in 2016 – to address the current trafficking situation and trends in country, including increased online exploitation, and to identify responsibilities among various stakeholders, and it consulted civil society on its development. Experts emphasized the need for a new NAP to address policies and challenges in combating human trafficking more sufficiently. In 2024, the government reported allocating 37.7 million NOK ($3.33 million) for anti-trafficking efforts, compared with 37.5 million NOK ($ 3.31 million) in 2023. In 2024, KOM published a brochure for potential trafficking victims with information on understanding human trafficking and victim rights and services. A government-funded NGO managed a 24-hour hotline for potential trafficking victims, available in Norwegian, English, Spanish, Arabic, and Thai. The hotline received 32 calls from identified trafficking victims in 2024. The government made efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts by investigating and fining individuals purchasing sexual services. To complement domestic efforts, government representatives continued to participate in the Council of Baltic Sea States 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. The government also participated in the Alliance 8.7 donor coordination working group to eradicate forced labor, end human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor.

The government continued to raise awareness of Norwegian laws and regulations, which included the prohibition of recruitment agencies from charging fees to job seekers for placement services, among employers while, simultaneously, encouraging the public to abstain from purchasing abnormally cheap and potentially illegal services. In 2024, Norway introduced a new system for all temporary work agencies to apply for authorization from the Labor Inspection Authority to hire workers; the system aimed to improve oversight of agencies and strengthen employees’ protections and rights. Additionally, in 2024, the government enacted revisions to the Norwegian Transparency Act to prevent forced labor in commercial supply chains by mandating more thorough due diligence processes to identify, prevent, and mitigate human rights abuses and decent working conditions violations within companies’ operations and supply chains and requiring companies to report publicly on their due diligence processes and findings. As part of its work to promote corporate social responsibility, the government maintained an advisory center with resources and advice for companies on corporate social responsibility and stipulated that vendors respect internationally recognized human rights in government-awarded contracts.

The government continued to implement its action plan against “social dumping” and work-related crime, which included several measures aimed at preventing the exploitation, including trafficking, of foreign workers, and its action plan against “social dumping” in the transportation sector. In addition, the government continued to implement its strategy against criminal activities in the workplace and in the labor market, which included control mechanisms and measures to combat illegal activities, including trafficking, and required cooperation among authorities, labor inspectors, NGOs, and businesses. The government also continued to implement its strategy against work-related crime, including labor trafficking, by regularly conducting workplace inspections, especially at construction sites and car washes, which were known to be frequently noncompliant with the law. According to authorities, inspections have led to detecting forced labor cases in the past. In 2024, the labor inspectorate conducted an international labor inspection conference with sessions on work-related crime, including labor trafficking. The government maintained seven interagency centers against work-related crime, consisting of representatives from the police, the labor inspectorate, and the Directorate of Labor and Welfare, among others, to identify and investigate labor trafficking cases in collaboration with the anti-trafficking police units. In 2024, the government participated in two research projects with the Governments of Finland 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. With government funding, an independent social science research foundation continued a five-year project focusing on Norwegian policy development and efforts to combat exploitation of foreign workers, including the effects of increased interagency cooperation in anti-trafficking efforts, “social dumping,” and work-related crime. The government maintained its international vessel tracking center in Vardø that communicated data and analysis about illegal vessels and, through the use of a digital platform developed by Norway, enabled secure intergovernmental cooperation to combat fisheries crime. Analysts from the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate supported the center and produced reports on the movement of fishing vessels and potential illegal fishing operations.

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 Norway, and, to a lesser extent, traffickers exploit victims from Norway abroad. The government reports populations vulnerable to trafficking include children, migrants, person with disabilities, and persons who identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual. While reports indicate an increase in Norwegian trafficking victims, victims primarily originate from Central and South America, especially Colombia and Venezuela, with the majority being adult women exploited in sex trafficking. These women arrive on tourist visas organized by traffickers in their home countries. The traffickers move the women around Norway and exploit them in commercial sex, using threats against their families as a means of control. Traffickers typically use threats and emotional manipulation to force victims into exploitation versus aggravated violence. Reports indicate an increase in victims from Thailand who come to Norway to reunite with their Norwegian spouses, and, once in the country, traffickers exploit them in labor or commercial sex. Traffickers, particularly those who are part of criminal networks with international connections, increasingly use technology, including social media and messaging applications, to recruit victims through fake advertisements and exploit victims, especially children, some as young as 12 years old, in commercial sex. The government has reported cases of girls forced into marriage, who are then subject to sex trafficking and forced labor. Traffickers exploit women and girls in sex trafficking in massage parlors and men and women in labor trafficking, specifically in domestic servitude, as well as in restaurants, grocery stores, and car repair shops. Other high-risk sectors include the agriculture, construction, hospitality, textiles, transportation, and extractive industries. Traffickers confiscate identification documents, withhold wages, and use debt-based coercion to control and exploit victims in labor trafficking. Traffickers subject children to forced criminal activities and other forms of forced labor, including illegal employment in car washes and private housekeeping. In recent years, authorities and civil society representatives reported an increase in labor trafficking cases. Typically, labor trafficking victims are foreign workers whose traffickers are either their employers or other employees who act as facilitators. Reports indicate forced labor is a concern in the fisheries sector. Many fishers are foreign workers that are highly vulnerable to exploitation, including trafficking, aboard fishing vessels, which often operate far from shore. Labor trafficking in this sector is often associated with other criminal activities, such as illegal fishing and environmental crimes. More than 87,000 refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war arriving in Norway are highly vulnerable to trafficking. Reports indicate traffickers working in criminal networks lure Ukrainian refugees via social media into exploitative situations before they leave Ukraine, offering transportation out of the country or shelter in exchange for commercial sex in Norway and other European countries.