Abstract
Argues that the legal instruments adopted at international and European level to tackle labour exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery practices call for the protection and immediate assistance of victims, as well as their longer-term social and labour market integration. Most of the victim protection systems developed in European countries were originally developed as part of policy frameworks to tackle trafficking of human beings, and foremost trafficking for sexual exploitation. In the last few years, these systems have gradually expanded to encompass other types of exploitation (labour exploitation, forced begging,organ harvesting). The focus of victim protection systems, however, remains centred on immediate assistance.