The National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings launches its annual campaign on the 18th of October - the European Day for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, reported BGNES.

Global development and the spread of Internet access create additional challenges to counteract trafficking in human beings. This is why the traditional campaign this year is aimed at informing the public and specific vulnerable groups about the risks of involvement in human trafficking schemes over the Internet, the commission said.

At the same time, the internet can also be a tool of counteracting trafficking in human beings, both in terms of effective crime investigation and as a tool for prevention.

Various national and local initiatives aimed at informing the general public about the risks of getting involved in human trafficking via the Internet, as well as discussing the possibility of the network being used to detect and investigate the crime, are planned within the campaign.

A major part of the initiatives is to hold an expert forum in partnership with the Embassy of the UK in Bulgaria and with international participation dedicated to the Internet and the fight against trafficking in human beings, bringing together representatives of the responsible institutions, academic circles and civil and research organizations as well and representatives of the European institutions and the EU member states, which are the main destinations for a victim destination from Bulgaria.