While cases of human trafficking for prostitution or drug smuggling have declined in Lithuania, authorities say they are facing a rapid increase in forced labour cases, with foreign workers the main victims.
“This is a new trend,” Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė told LRT RADIO. “The number of pretrial investigations is growing, and we must remember that just a few years ago, our Criminal Code did not even have a relevant article.”
According to prosecutors, 22 investigations into human trafficking are currently underway, 10 of which directly involve forced labour. More than 100 victims and 75 suspects have already been identified.
Some lawyers question whether all the cases can be described as trafficking. Attorney Girijus Ivoška argues that the term fits mass recruitment and coercion resembling slavery but is less accurate for wage disputes.
“Often we are talking about unpaid salaries rather than trafficking in the full sense,” he said.
Rights groups say the most vulnerable are migrant workers in the transport sector, many from Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
Trapped without options
Belek Aidarov, head of the Kyrgyz diaspora in Lithuania, said many of his compatriots feel trapped by labour rules requiring them to work six months for the employer who sponsored their visa.
“Employers feel like kings,” he said: people cannot leave even if conditions are terrible and salaries go unpaid. Some go months without wages, surviving on bread and water.
He described cases in which construction workers from Kyrgyzstan were promised steady wages but never paid, while companies later declared bankruptcy. Migrants, he added, often pay €2,000–€3,000 just to secure work invitations and travel.
“These men are family breadwinners. They help build Lithuania’s stadiums and roads, and then they are left with less than they would earn at home,” Aidarov said.
Common problems: pay, language barriers
Ivoška noted that many disputes stem from incorrect salary calculations or unpaid travel allowances in transport companies. Sometimes, he said, conflicts are aggravated by cultural misunderstandings or personal tensions at work.
Language is another barrier. Employers are required to provide contracts in a language workers understand, but in practice many receive only oral summaries. Workers sign documents they don’t understand, and that causes disputes later, he said.
Labour lawyer Elena Tarasova advised migrants never to sign unclear papers. “The Labour Code requires contracts in a language the worker understands,” she said, and signing something you don’t understand can strip you of rights.
Tarasova added that workers should document complaints and, if necessary, turn to the State Labour Disputes Commission, which handles cases for free in Russian or English.
Labour inspection findings
The State Labour Inspectorate reports a sharp rise in violations involving foreign workers. Since 2021, the number of foreigners employed illegally has increased nearly fivefold, with Ukrainians and Belarusians making up the largest groups.
In 2024, Ukrainians accounted for 35% of illegal workers, Belarusians 25%, and migrants from Central Asia and Moldova 44%. Construction and transport remain the most affected sectors.
Complaints from foreign workers have also surged, rising more than fourfold since 2021 to over 2,200 cases in 2024, nearly a quarter of all labour disputes in Lithuania. Most involve unpaid wages.
Authorities say more oversight is planned. The Labour Inspectorate will launch training sessions in 2025 for employers on hiring foreign nationals lawfully. Prosecutors and NGOs stress that protecting migrants is key not only for labour rights but also for Lithuania’s reputation.
Lithuania’s migration patterns reflect broader regional dynamics. As of August 2025, there were about 76,000 Ukrainians in the country, down from nearly 95,000 in early 2023. Belarusian numbers have also declined after peaking in 2024. By contrast, Kyrgyz and Azerbaijani communities expanded rapidly in recent years before beginning to contract.
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