Labour exploitation reports double in hospitality, almost triple in farming
The number of labour exploitation victims who came to light in the Netherlands rose 13% last year, and the national rapporteur says too few perpetrators are prosecuted.
Reports of labour exploitation in hospitality doubled last year and reports in agriculture and fishing almost tripled, says Conny Rijken, the National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence against Children, in her annual report. Overall, the number of victims who came to light rose 13% compared with the year before.
Victims in hospitality come mainly from Bangladesh, Turkey and Syria. In agriculture, forestry and fishing, Romanians are the largest group of reported victims, followed by Poles. Rijken says kitchens, rooms and night hours make hospitality staff easy to keep out of sight, and that farm workers often work in remote places.
The report also counts 952 reports of human trafficking in 2025, against 944 in 2024. Reports of domestic sexual exploitation, such as prostitution at home, rose 16%, from 123 to 143.
In 2025 the Arbeidsinspectie (labour inspectorate) started 57 criminal investigations. Only ten cases were passed to the Openbaar Ministerie (OM), the Public Prosecution Service. "Although there is growing attention for the vulnerable position of people in the labour market and the risks of exploitation, in practice it is still difficult to trace perpetrators and prosecute them," Rijken says.
Rijken says employers are often fined for unpaid wages. Victims are then not recognised as trafficking victims and do not get the protection they need. Some companies factor the fines into their costs, she says, so fines do not stop them.
Prosecutors and inspectorate push back
An OM spokesperson criticises the rapporteur's statements. "We bring many cases to court and work hard on them," the spokesperson says. "Investigating labour exploitation is complex, time-consuming and must be done carefully." The OM says the inspectorate regularly uses administrative law and fines employers, which the report does not count.
An Arbeidsinspectie spokesperson agrees. The burden of proof is high, the spokesperson says, and when exploitation cannot be pursued, the inspectorate tries other criminal-law routes, such as fraud or money laundering. Those actions are not in the rapporteur's figures. "That does not do justice to our full work."
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OM (Openbaar Ministerie)
The Public Prosecution Service, which decides whether suspects are prosecuted and brings criminal cases to court.
Nationaal Rapporteur Mensenhandel en Seksueel Geweld tegen Kinderen
The National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence against Children is an independent monitor that tracks the scale and nature of human trafficking and sexual violence against children in the Netherlands. It publishes an annual report and makes recommendations to the government and parliament on how to prevent and combat these crimes. Its findings are a standard reference point for policy in these areas.
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Arbeidsinspectie
The Dutch Labour Inspectorate is the government body that supervises compliance with employment and working-conditions rules, such as working hours, safety and the employment of foreign workers. It inspects workplaces and can investigate suspected labour exploitation, including starting criminal investigations. Serious cases are passed on to the Openbaar Ministerie (the Public Prosecution Service), which decides whether to prosecute.