REsponses from European Law to the trafficking of Women In Digital Environments

REEL-WIDE is a three-year research project that examines how digital environments are reshaping the transnational trafficking of women and girls, and proposes innovative legal responses within the European Union framework. Led by Dr Cristina Blasi, the project responds to the growing evidence that digitalisation has transformed recruitment, exploitation and control mechanisms, while EU legislation has not yet adequately adapted to address these emerging forms of online-enabled trafficking. Grounded in SDGs 5, 8 and 16, REEL-WIDE adopts an intersectional, gender-sensitive and victim-centred approach. Its core hypothesis is that the EU lacks a comprehensive framework connecting anti-trafficking legislation with digital regulation including the Digital Services Act (DSA), the e-Evidence Regulation and the new provisions of Directive (EU) 2024/1712 creating significant gaps in prevention, identification, victim protection and prosecution in online contexts. The objectives are: (1) to analyse existing reports and datasets to identify patterns and early indicators of digitally facilitated trafficking; (2) to map and critically assess EU legal and policy frameworks on trafficking, victim protection and digital environments, identifying gaps and opportunities for regulatory synergies; (3) to design legal and operational solutions to enhance the implementation of Directive 2024/1712 and address outstanding shortcomings, including platform due-diligence duties, digital early-identification protocols, procedural guarantees for electronic evidence and victim-centred protection routes adapted to online exploitation. The methodology combines qualitative and legal analysis, documentary and empirical research, applied investigation on digital victimisation, and normative-propositive work. The project will deliver a comprehensive Intervention Toolkit offering risk indicators, detection guidelines, cooperation protocols and legal recommendations for EU authorities, civil society and digital platforms. The scientific impact includes redefining trafficking in the digital age, strengthening EU regulatory coherence and providing evidence-based proposals applicable beyond Europe. The social impact aims to improve victim detection and protection, reduce revictimisation, enhance cooperation between authorities and platforms, and position the EU as a global leader in ethical and effective digital governance against trafficking. The dissemination strategy includes open-access publications, participation in international conferences, a project website, social- media communication, podcasts and training activities, ensuring broad knowledge transfer to policymakers, practitioners, academia, technology actors and the general public.