Europol has supported a 2 day Austrian field operation targeting trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Carinthia. In the course of the operation, 33 locations were simultaneously searched. 158 legal sex service providers and 82 individuals were verified, and 17 potential victims of trafficking in human beings – Chinese and Romanian nationals – were identified. The police action was aimed at identifying and disrupting potential organised crime groups involved in trafficking young women for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Austrian law enforcement was supported by liaison officers from Bulgaria and Romania. Europol specialists were also present on the field throughout the entire operation. They actively facilitated the information exchange, provided operational analytical support and cross-checked all data gathered in real time. Since 2013, this is the fourth time that Europol successfully supported Austrian authorities in their efforts to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
