The European Commission has announced a four-year plan to eradicate human trafficking.

The EU strategy to combat human trafficking includes the creation of national law enforcement units specialized in human trafficking, as well as joint European investigation teams to prosecute cross-border trafficking cases. The strategy also calls for stronger cooperation with the European Police Office (Europol) and EUROJUST in fighting human trafficking.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström said that tens of thousands of people are trafficked and traded for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitations in the EU every year.

Quoting statistics from the International Labor Organization and the UN, the European Commission said that more than 20 million people fall victim to forced labor around the world, and of them, five-point-five million are underage.