Romania reports rise in human trafficking victims and new anti-trafficking law
In the first half of 2026, Romanian authorities identified 430 human-trafficking victims, up from the same period in 2025, and highlighted a 2024 law expanding criminal liability.
Diana Tuşa, who heads the parliamentary committee overseeing the issue, reported that 430 people were identified as victims of human trafficking in the first half of 2026, exceeding the figure for the same timeframe in 2025. She reminded that Romania has consistently topped EU statistics for trafficking of its citizens. The country has also filed the most Eurojust trafficking cases in 2023 and 2024.
Tuşa said recent reforms, notably law 269/2024, now criminalize any coercive or deceptive act that forces a person into prostitution. In 2025, officials recorded 707 victims, with 565 suffering sexual exploitation. These developments underscore Bucharest's intensified response to the crime.
Why it matters
The increase in victims and new legal measures show Romania's escalating challenge and policy response to human trafficking.
In this story
