18-year-old arrested after violent prostitution in Austria

18-year-old arrested after violent prostitution in Austria

Linz, Österreich - On May 21, 2025, it became known that the State Criminal Police Office of Upper Austria arrested an 18-year-old Hungarian citizen. This was arrested in Hungary on May 7, 2025 and transferred to Austria twelve days later. The young man is part of a pimp ring that was already excavated in November 2024 and is suspected of having forced a woman through violence for illegal housing prostitution in Linz and Wels. This information was reported by Kosmo A total of five Hungarian citizens are involved in the ongoing investigation, which are accused due to pimping and cross -border prostitution trade. In his statements, the 18-year-old denied most of the allegations and described the affected woman as his former partner. After the first interrogations, he was admitted to the Wels judiciary. The arrest and subsequent investigation are part of a major investigation into a criminal network that was also recorded by a European arrest warrant of the Wels public prosecutor, such as Krone

background to the problem of human trafficking

The case of the 18-year-old Hungarian citizen is not isolated. As part of a comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking and tugs, Austria has used numerous measures in recent years. According to a report by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the number of people picked up in connection with human trafficking and towing increased significantly in 2021. 41,612 people were taken up, which corresponds to an increase of 92 % compared to the previous year. Of these, 75 victims of human trafficking, which is an increase of 34 %, as in bmi

Most of these cases affect cross-border activities, especially on the Austrian-Hungarian border. Human trafficking not only includes forced prostitution, but also other forms of exploitation such as forced labor and begging. These challenges emphasize the need for international cooperation to combat such criminal networks.

outlook for further investigations

The current investigations are part of a wider offensive against human trafficking and towing, which is supported by cooperation with European and international partners. Within Austria, the newly founded Joint Operational Office plays a central role in the coordination of investigative proceedings in the Federal Criminal Police Office. This shows that the authorities are willing to decide the increasing problem of human trafficking and illegal prostitution.

The arrest of the 18-year-old Hungarian citizen and the associated investigations could not only have an impact on the immediate legal Situation of those involved, but also on the entire landscape of combating human trafficking crime in Austria and beyond.