Victims of trafficking in human beings, of torture, and gender-based-violence require trauma-informed approaches and trained personnel to be detected and assisted, as shown in FRA’s report ‘Seeking Safety from War – Violence and rights abuses against women from Ukraine (2026). To support Member State authorities, the EUAA has produced several tools and launched a dedicated training module on vulnerability in the Pact. Vulnerability modules are among the most attended training provided by the EUAA.

Early identification is particularly important for trafficking victims, whose subtle indicators often evade initial screening despite their heightened vulnerability, as FRA discussed with actors on the ground in January 2026, with regards to young men from Bangladesh arriving to Sicily. The European Commission is developing a post-2025 EU Anti-trafficking strategy via a public consultation. The Council of Europe monitoring body GRETA, after the fourth-round evaluations (2024–2025) covering Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, urges stronger victim identification among and support to asylum seekers, including in border situations.

Identifying vulnerabilities resulting from gender-based violence and gender identity remains critical to protect fundamental rights. France adopted in February 2024 a new decree standardising medical examinations for female genital mutilation cases, specifying protocols for detection, documentation, and victim-centred care, alongside a dedicated webpage supporting healthcare professionals on how to issue related medical certificates. Belgium adopted in March and April 2025 new internal guidelines and a protocol on handling asylum applications based on sexual violence, and adjusted female genital mutilation follow-up protocols (medical checks every 3 years instead of annually) to reduce psychological impact on girls. The Asylum Procedure Regulation exempts persons from the border procedure if their special reception needs cannot be met there, making early identification essential to prevent inappropriate channelling. Persons with special needs feature also among those that may continue to request asylum under legislation restricting access to asylum at the borders with Belarus. For example, under the exceptional measure introduced in March 2025 in Poland, persons with vulnerabilities are still allowed to request asylum.

Early identification of vulnerabilities is essential to ensuring that applicants receive appropriate support from the outset. However, vulnerability may also emerge or be disclosed at a later stage, and such developments must equally trigger tailored reception measures and procedural safeguards. National practice demonstrates this in cases of late disclosure by LGBTI applicants. Courts have recognised that late disclosure of sexual orientation in asylum claims should not undermine the person’s credibility, given the sensitivity of the matter, as the following two examples from Austria’s Federal Administrative Court (X v. Austrian Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, June 2025) and Belgium’s Council for Alien Law Litigation (X v. Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, August 2024) show.

Once a person has been identified as having special needs, authorities may adopt a range of measures, including allocation to specialised housing, access to psychological support, or the provision of procedural safeguards during the asylum procedure.

In October 2025, for example, the Italian Ministry of Interior, supported by the EUAA, adopted a protocol that sets out in detail the measures to be applied in reception and asylum procedures to ensure the protection of unaccompanied children. It follows the 2023 vademecum for vulnerable persons. At procedural level, the Austrian Constitutional Court ruled in June 2025 that an applicant’s request for a female judge and interpreter should have been granted by the lower court in a case involving sexual self‑determination.

Special needs must also be addressed once international protection status is granted, as shown by the ECtHR's 19 February 2026 interim measures, published by the NGO Refugee Support Aegean, protecting a young Syrian refugee with disabilities in Greece. After receiving refugee status, her temporary health number was deactivated, barring access to life-saving medication. The ECtHR ordered the Greek authorities to guarantee uninterrupted treatment, but according to Refugee Support Aegean the interim measure was not implemented.