Poverty, conflict and climate cause spikes in human trafficking victims: United Nations report
2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons reveal one Increase 25% from 2022 to 2019 due to more children being exploited and a spike in forced labor cases due to vulnerabilities caused by poverty, conflict and the climate crisis.
“Criminals are increasingly trafficking people into forced labor, including forcing them to commit sophisticated online scams and scams, while women and girls face the risk experiencing sexual exploitation and gender-based violence,” said. UNODC CEO Ghada Waly.
She added: “We need to strengthen criminal justice responses to hold those at the top of the crime chain accountable, work across borders to rescue victims and ensure survivors receive the support they need”.
Unaccompanied children are at risk
Quantity victims discovered for forced labor trafficking worldwide increased 47% from 2019 to 2022according to the report.
The number of child victims increased by 31% in 2022 compared to 2019, with a 38% increase in girls.
The report said more male victims were discovered in areas where the number of unaccompanied and separated children has been increasing.
Child trafficking is also increasing in high-income countriesoften involves girls being trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Natalia, mother of two children from Belarus, became a victim of human traffickers (file).
Victims are mainly women
The study found that Women and girls continue to make up the majority of victims detected worldwide, or 61%. Most girls, 60%, continue to be trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Regarding boys, about 45% were trafficked for forced labor and another 47% were exploited for other purposes, including forced crime and begging.
Meanwhile, human trafficking for forced crimes – including online fraud – ranked third in the number of victims detected, increasing from 1% of total victims detected in 2016 to 8% in 2016. 2022.
Special focus on Africa
The report includes a special chapter on Africa, a region that UNODC says is often overlooked in studies of human trafficking due to difficulties in collecting data.
The agency has gone to great lengths to collect data from all regions on the continent, including with help from field offices and joint initiatives with the United Nations migration agency. country. IOMAfrican Union Statistical Institute (STATAFRIC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and various national agencies.
The report found that African victims accounted for the highest number of destinations. At least 162 different nationalities were trafficked to 128 different destination countries in 2022. Of the detected cross-border flows of people, 31% involved citizens of African countries.
Most African victims are trafficked within the continentwhere displacement, insecurity and climate change are making vulnerabilities worse.
UNODC warns that child trafficking is more common than adult trafficking in most parts of Africa, especially forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced begging.
The agency noted that one factor contributing to the global increase in child victims is the general increase in the number of cases detected in sub-Saharan Africa.
