Although trafficking in human beings was criminalized in Spain in 2010, data on this phenomenon are scarce and incomplete, consisting only of cases formally identified by police as having a very clear bias to trafficking for sexual exploitation. In an effort to increase empirical understanding, in 2019 we undertook quantitative research by gathering information on cases detected during 2017 and 2018. A questionnaire was distributed online to 757 stakeholders who could potentially have come across victims of trafficking. The 150 responses obtained provide valuable information about the number of victims, their profile, the dynamics of trafficking and the types of exploitation they suffered. The number of victims detected during the research period ( n = 7448) is far higher than those officially identified ( n = 458), which indicates that official cases may represent only the tip of the iceberg and point to the necessity of adopting measures to improve the identification system. Findings also show differences in victims’ profiles, victimization dynamics and forms of exploitation depending on the type of trafficking that could be taken into account when designing intervention and prevention programmes in this matter.

La trata de seres humanos constituye una realidad intrínsecamente ligada a los movimientos migratorios que demanda un abordaje centrado en la detección y protección de las víctimas. En el presente trabajo de investigación se analiza su aproximación institucional en España con base en una encuesta cumplimentada por 150 entidades, unidades u organismos que pueden ocuparse de ella. El estudio se focaliza, de un lado, en determinar cómo afloran los casos de trata y qué entidades son las más eficientes en su detección. De otro, en analizar la forma en que las víctimas son asistidas y protegidas, incluyendo una valoración de la aplicación de mecanismos de tutela previstos en la Ley de extranjería para garantizar su permanencia en España. Los resultados confirman que la aproximación institucional a la trata sigue centrada en la explotación sexual de mujeres extranjeras y propone alternativas para superar dicho sesgo.

Trafficking in human beings is closely related to the cross-border movements of people and smuggling of migrants. However, the victim-centred regulatory approach to this reality internationally adopted places the protection of victims’ human rights at the centre and demands an institutional response focused on their detection and protection. In order to determine whether this type of approach is being adopted in Spain, an online survey was conducted of 150 bodies, units and organisations that may have come into contact with such victims. The research results make it possible to determine how cases of trafficking are brought to light and which bodies are most effective at detecting them. They also offer information about the type of assistance offered to victims and the protection measures provided for under immigration law that are used depending on the type of trafficking suffered. These findings confirm that the institutional response to trafficking in human beings in Spain remains too focused on the trafficking of foreign women for sexual exploitation. Alternatives are proposed to overcome this highly biased response to the phenomenon.

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