Mens man afventer et harmoniseret middel til grænseoverskridende beskyttelse af ofre, skal medlemsstaterne og ansøgerlandene i samarbejde med ngo'erne forbedre beskyttelsen af ofrene, og, hvis det er berettiget, undersøge, på hvilke betingelser ofret har krav på støtte til at vende tilbage til oprindelseslandet eller en foreløbig opholdsret, sådan som Belgien f.eks. tilkender ofre for menneskehandel en status.
Until such time as a harmonised instrument for cross-border protection of victims is in place, it is incumbent on the Member States and the candidate countries, in cooperation with the NGOs, to improve the level of protection for victims, and where appropriate, examine under what conditions the victim is entitled to support for their return to their country of origin, or temporary right of residence, in the way that Belgium accords a status to victims of trafficking in human beings, for example.