Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ―Modern Science and Education‖ (April 10-12, 2026) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Paris, France, 2026. - 217 p.

38 authorities. Case studies from Italy and France provide further examples of both the positive and negative consequences of implementing EU policies at the national level. The study concludes that, despite some positive developments, further steps are needed to improve coordination, protect victims, and adapt measures to prevent and combat trafficking in women to the rapidly changing environment. Keywords: trafficking in women, European Union, human trafficking, migration governance, legal framework, Directive 2011/36/EU, gender dimension, exploitation, EU institutions, victim protection. Trafficking in women remains one of the most pressing global challenges, representing a serious violation of human rights and a form of transnational organized crime. Its scale continues to increase due to intensified migration flows, armed conflicts, and growing economic instability, which create conditions of vulnerability and exploitation. In this context, the European Union plays a key role as one of the leading actors in combating trafficking through the development of comprehensive legal frameworks, institutional mechanisms, and coordinated policies aimed at prevention, protection, and prosecution. Objective of the article: to analyze the legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms of the European Union in combating trafficking in women, as well as to assess the impact of emerging migration challenges on their effectiveness. Trafficking in women is widely recognized as a serious transnational crime and a gross violation of human rights, affecting millions of individuals worldwide. It involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of women for the purpose of exploitation, often through coercion, deception, or abuse of vulnerability. This phenomenon is closely linked to global migration processes, economic inequalities, and political instability, which create conditions conducive to exploitation. One of the most prevalent forms of trafficking in women is sexual exploitation, which includes forced prostitution, sexual slavery, and other forms of sexual abuse. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to gender-based discrimination