The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI) is the European regional institute in the United Nations Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention programme network. HEUNI functions under the auspices of the Finnish Ministry of Justice as an independent research and policy-making institute.
HEUNI aims at a fair and just world by advancing humane and rational criminal justice policies and systems in the European region, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
HEUNI is a bold front-runner in creating and sharing uncompromised knowledge on the prevention of crime within the framework of criminal justice. We engage policymakers, practitioners and researchers in frank discussions to tackle current problems. We develop innovative and action-oriented solutions to advance the rights of those affected by crime.
HEUNI has a new strategy for the years 2024-2027. The strategy updates, revises and strengthens HEUNI’s operations to suit the demands of the 21st century. While the strategy identifies several core areas of work, it also aims to strengthen HEUNI’s operations and working methods in order to produce increasingly cutting-edge results.
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EMBRACE. Empowering Business Communities to Prevent Labour Trafficking
2025 - ongoingEMBRACE aims to prevent labour trafficking and exploitation by enhancing systemic responses and preventive measures from a Business and Human Rights perspective, focusing on high-risk sectors. By...
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SafeBorders. Strengthening protection against child trafficking
2025 - ongoingSafeBorders is an EU funded project aimed at combating child trafficking by enhancingthe capacities of judicial authorities and frontline workers through strong cross-bordercooperation. The project...
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SCOPE-THB. Scoping emerging forms of trafficking in human beings in the Nordic countries
2025 - ongoingHEUNI, with funding from the Nordic Council of Ministers, is launching the SCOPE-THB project in 2025. This research initiative focuses on identifying and analyzing emerging forms of human...
