Swedish border police remove possible trafficking victims before identifying them

Swedish border police detain and remove people in prostitution without first identifying whether they may be trafficking victims, a state audit found. The auditors say that practice can leave exploitation undiscovered and potential victims without protection.

The National Audit Office says border police struggle to identify potential victims. It urges the government to review removal rules and the police to adopt a strategy for these cases.

The audit also says police outreach on websites advertising paid sex focuses largely on one or two of 46 sites identified as targeting Sweden. During 2021–25, police received 422 reports of suspected trafficking for sexual exploitation; two cases led to convictions.

The criticism extends to the Migration Agency and prosecutors. Auditors found that none of the three agencies works effectively enough against trafficking for sexual exploitation.

The figures cover the audit period and do not measure the full scale of trafficking in Sweden. The audit does not determine that every person removed by border police was a trafficking victim.

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