This article endeavours to take stock of the progress made thus far in shaping Europe's response to the contemptible practice of traffficking in human beings and to highlight the objectives for the future. Trafficking in human beings is both a grave violation of human rights and a serious crime against an individual's dignity and freedom, where people are reduced to mere commodities to be put on sale to the highest bidder. Victims of trafficking have to live for the rest of their lives with this deep-seated scar, which will linger on for many years. Careful consideration is therefore given to identifying and protecting victims and to prosecuting offenders who are both buyers and sellers of human flesh. This study also attempts to show that Europe's response to human trafficking was somehow lopsided, leaning more towards coercive measures than to protecting the victims themselves. It also contains proposals designed to secure more effective cooperation between the Commission, the Member States, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Co-operation at the External Borders (Frontex), Europol, the Council of Europe and Interpol, and to help Europe take a leading role in the fight against human trafficking, which will help consolidate its position in the international arena and thus raise its external profile.