This study addresses both of these phenomena in order to find out the scope and the nature of the problem and to assess the situation in respect of prevention and victim assistance in Lithuania.

In this research, human trafficking for forced labour is understood as a situation in which two phenomena, labour exploitation and human trafficking, co-exist and overlap. Human trafficking for forced labour is analysed in the context of the broader phenomenon of labour exploitation. Such an approach is not chosen coincidently. As the primary data of this research shows, modern human trafficking for forced labour within the European Union (EU) (Lithuania included) may not bear all the characteristics of human trafficking. There are situations where the stage of victim transportation is absent and victims are persuaded to travel to the agreed point of destination themselves. This research shows that victims may be exposed to psychological and not necessarily to physical coercion. Based on the primary data of this research, it is difficult to distinguish where labour exploitation ends and human trafficking for forced labour begins.