Increase in human trafficking due to poverty, conflict and climate change

The 2024 Global Report on Human Trafficking states that between 2022 and 2019, a 25 percent increase was recorded. The main reason for this is the increasing vulnerability to poverty, conflict and the climate crisis, which leads to an increase in cases of child exploitation and forced labour.

UNODC Executive Director Ghada Walley said, “The risk of people being forced into forced labor is This includes forcing women and girls to commit crimes like online scams, sexual exploitation and gender based crimes. “We need to step up the judicial response to crime, to hold those at the top of the criminal chain accountable, and to take action on both sides of the border to protect victims,” he said. At the same time, it must be ensured that survivors receive appropriate help and support.” Human trafficking for forced labor is expected to increase worldwide between 2019 and 2022, according to the report Threatening Unaccompanied Children The number of victims has increased by 47 percent. The number of child victims increased by 31 percent in 2022 compared to 2019, while an increase of 38 percent was recorded in the case of girls. The report said that in areas where children were left alone or separated from their families, the number of boys who were victims was higher. There has been an increase in child trafficking even in high-income countries. In these, more cases of trafficking of girls for sexual exploitation have been reported. Majority of victims are women The study also revealed that the majority of victims identified worldwide, i.e. 61 percent, are women and girls. Most of these girls (i.e. 60 percent) are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Talking about boys, about 45 percent of them are trafficked to make them do forced labour. Additionally, another 47 percent are exploited, forced into criminal activities or begged. Meanwhile, the number of victims of trafficking who are forced to engage in criminal activities, including online scams, ranks third. doing. This has increased from one percent of victims found in 2016 to eight percent in 2022. A special chapter on Africa has been included in the report with a special focus on Africa. UNODC says this region is often neglected in studies of human trafficking due to difficulties in obtaining data. The agency made strong efforts to collect data from all regions of the continent. For this, help was taken from the regional offices of UNODC and the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM), African Union Statistical Institute (STATAFRIC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and various national authorities. Report It is also reported that African people have the highest number of victims who reach other countries through trafficking. In 2022, 162 people of different nationalities were trafficked to 128 countries. 31 percent of the people taken across the border were citizens of African countries. The majority of victims are trafficked internally within the continent in African countries facing displacement, insecurity and climate change. UNODC warned that in much of Africa, children are more likely to be trafficked than adults, particularly for forced labour, sexual exploitation and begging. The agency said there has been a huge increase in human trafficking cases in sub-Saharan Africa, which has contributed to increasing child trafficking figures globally.

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