INVERT Project Wraps Up with Innovative Tools to Combat Labour Trafficking
At the end of September, the teams from Victim Support Europe (VSE) and the INVERT project consortium met in Brussels for the final project conference.
INVERT – an acronym for Identifying Companies and Victims in the Exploitation Phase to Disrupt the Financial Business Model of Adult and Child Labour Trafficking — was a two-year international initiative. It aimed at combatting the misuse of legal companies by labour traffickers who exploit victims. The project supported EU prosecutor offices, law enforcement agencies (LEAs), and judicial authorities in identifying and disrupting these business models and the wider trafficking chain.
Held on 19 September 2025, the conference titled “Disrupt to Protect: Fighting Labour Exploitation Through Innovation” marked the successful conclusion of the project. The hybrid event welcomed approximately 30 in-person participants, and 130 online attendees, including EU law enforcement, prosecutors, policymakers, academics, NGOSs, private stakeholders and other criminal justice experts.
The event opened with the remarks of guest speakers Levent Altan (VSE), Dr. Francesco Calderoni and Clara Rondani (Transcrime) and Dr. Andrea Tünde Barabás (OKRI). Keynote speeches were then delivered by Dr. Aitana Radu (University of Malta), and Dr. Jorn van Rij (Dutch National Police) who provided expert insights into the issue of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
A major highlight of the conference was the presentation of two innovative risk assessment tools, developed through close collaboration with prosecutors’ offices in Italy and Hungary. These tools, one designed to screen companies potentially involved in labour exploitation, and the other to help identify potential victims of labour trafficking, were proudly presented by Transcrime. They gave a live demonstration of a case study, showcasing how the tools function in real-world scenarios, featuring results from pilot testing by LEAs and prosecutors.
The conference concluded with Victim Support Europe’s presentation of the validation reports on the piloting phase, incorporating the contributions from the project partners, Transcrime/Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Italy), National Institute of Criminology (Hungary), National Gendarmerie/Arma dei Carabinieri (Italy), CBRNe Security and Defense Observatory (Italy), Palermo Prosecutor’s Office (Italy), and Milan Prosecutor’s Office (Italy).
Finally, an engaging Q&A session with Dr. Szandra Windt (OKRI), brought the event to a close, allowing attendees to reflect on the project outcomes and the promising impact of the INVERT tools in the ongoing fight against labour exploitation.
The conference served as a fitting conclusion to two years of collaborative innovation and research, providing an invaluable opportunity for partners and key stakeholders to share results, exchange knowledge, and celebrate the achievements of the INVERT project.
