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1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that specialised assistance and support are provided to victims in a victim-centred, gender-, disability- and child-sensitive approach before, during, and for an appropriate period of time after the conclusion of, criminal proceedings, in order to enable them to exercise the rights set out in Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council () and in this Directive.

2. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that a person is provided with assistance and support as soon as the competent authorities have a reasonable-grounds indication for believing that the person might have been subjected to any of the offences referred to in Articles 2 and 3.

3. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that assistance and support for a victim are not made conditional on the victim’s willingness to cooperate in the criminal investigation, prosecution or trial, without prejudice to Directive 2004/81/EC or similar national rules.

4. Member States shall take the necessary measures to establish by laws, regulations or administrative provisions one or several mechanisms aimed at the early detection and identification of, assistance to and support for identified and presumed victims, in cooperation with relevant support organisations, and to appoint a focal point for the cross-border referral of victims. The tasks of the referral mechanisms operating in accordance with this paragraph shall include at least the following:

(a) establishing minimum standards for the detection and early identification of victims, and adapting the procedures for such detection and identification to the various forms of exploitation covered by this Directive;

(b) referring the victim to the most appropriate support and assistance;

(c) establishing cooperation arrangements or protocols with the asylum authorities to ensure that assistance, support and protection is provided to victims of trafficking who are also in need of international protection or who wish to apply for such protection, taking into account the victim’s individual circumstances.

5. The assistance and support measures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be provided on a consensual and informed basis, and shall include at least standards of living capable of ensuring victims’ subsistence through measures such as the provision of appropriate and safe accommodation, including shelters and other appropriate interim accommodation, and material assistance, as well as necessary medical treatment including psychological assistance, counselling and information, and translation and interpretation services where appropriate.

5a. The shelters and other appropriate interim accommodations referred to in paragraph 5 shall be provided in sufficient numbers and shall be easily accessible to presumed and identified victims of trafficking. The shelters and other appropriate interim accommodations shall assist them in their recovery, by providing adequate and appropriate living conditions with a view to a return to independent living. They shall also be equipped to accommodate the specific needs of children, including of child victims.

6. The information referred to in paragraph 5 shall cover, where relevant, information on a reflection and recovery period pursuant to Directive 2004/81/EC, and information on the possibility of granting international protection pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2024/1347 () and Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 of the European Parliament and of the Council (), or pursuant to other international instruments or other similar national rules.

7. Member States shall attend to victims with special needs, where those needs derive, in particular, from whether they are pregnant, their health, a disability, a mental or psychological disorder they have, or a serious form of psychological, physical or sexual violence they have suffered.