Overview
- Coverage on Sept. 23–24 showed Spain's 2025 Fiscalía report counted 1,246 possible victims, a 58% increase from the prior year, and flagged open investigations that make the true total likely higher.
- Police operations in Córdoba, Cáceres and agricultural inspections in Albacete and other provinces uncovered large victim groups and led to arrests that point to Spain functioning as a transit and control hub for victims sent to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Malta.
- Authorities and unions reported that sexual exploitation disproportionately affects women from Latin America while labor trafficking is rising among men in agriculture, hospitality, cleaning and construction.
- Argentina's PROTEX recorded 506 people rescued or assisted from January through August 2026 and a cumulative 22,945 since 2008, operating under laws that bar consent as a defense and running the 24/7 Línea 145 hotline for reports.
- Investigators warn that criminals increasingly recruit through social media and fake job ads to force victims into online fraud, remote exploitation or travel, which complicates detection and suggests official figures substantially undercount the problem.