Belgium joined the international community in supporting the Blue Heart Campaign under the 2026 theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam“. This year’s campaign highlights the growing trafficking of people into scam centres and other forms of forced criminality. It calls for stronger victim protection and enhanced international cooperation to combat the criminal networks behind these operations.
Ahead of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the Belgian Blue Heart Campaign was officially launched on 27 July 2026 by the Federal Public Service for Justice and the City of Namur, together with UNODC, Sürya, and the Federal Social Intelligence and Inspection Service (SIRS-SOID).
To mark the occasion on 30 July, over 80 Belgian cities and municipalities, together with public institutions, civil society organizations and local authorities, organized awareness-raising activities across the country. Manneken-Pis wore his Blue Heart costume in Brussels, information stands were hosted by PAG-ASA in Brussels and Leuven, and landmarks in dozens of cities and towns were illuminated in blue as a symbol of solidarity with victims and survivors of human trafficking.
On World Day, UNODC and the European Union’s Anti-Trafficking Coordinator also issued a joint statement warning of the rapid rise in human trafficking for criminal activities in scam centres. The statement calls for urgent action to identify and protect victims, strengthen international law enforcement cooperation, and dismantle the transnational organized crime groups responsible for these crimes.
Support for the Blue Heart Campaign from Belgian and EU officials continued to grow online on World Day, including posts with Prime Minister Bart De Wever and his cat Maximus, six Belgian Ministers, as well as the EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, and multiple Members of European Parliament. The Smurfs also continued their partnership with UNODC, contributing a new comic for this year’s theme.
The Blue Heart Campaign, launched by UNODC in 2009, raises awareness of human trafficking and encourages governments, civil society, the private sector and individuals to take action against this crime. Through the Blue Heart symbol, people around the world show solidarity with victims and reaffirm their commitment to ending human trafficking in all its forms.
