ANKARA, July 29 (Bernama-Anadolu) — Women and girls continue to account for the largest share of victims of human trafficking worldwide, with sexual exploitation remaining the leading form of abuse, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Anadolu reviewed findings from the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024, which highlights a sharp rise in trafficking cases and growing risks linked to conflict, climate change and forced displacement.
Human trafficking, often described as a form of modern slavery, involves the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of people through coercion, deception or abuse for the purpose of exploitation, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriage and criminal activities.
The report found that detected trafficking cases increased by 25 per cent between 2019 and 2022, with the largest rises recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, North America and Western Europe.
UNODC attributed the trend in part to increasing displacement caused by armed conflicts and climate-related disasters, which leave more people vulnerable to exploitation.
Between 2020 and 2023, authorities identified 202,478 trafficking victims worldwide. Children accounted for 38 per cent of all victims, including 22 per cent girls and 16 per cent boys. Among adults, 39 per cent were women and 23 per cent were men.
Women and girls were overwhelmingly trafficked for sexual exploitation, accounting for 64 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively, of victims subjected to that form of abuse. Men and boys each represented 3 per cent.
Forced labour remained the single most common purpose of trafficking overall, affecting 42 per cent of all victims. Adult men accounted for 47 per cent of those cases, followed by adult women (23 per cent), boys (20 per cent) and girls (10 per cent).
According to the report, people from 162 countries were trafficked into 128 destination countries in 2022, with nationals of African countries making up 31 per cent of identified victims.
The report said organised criminal networks remain the main drivers of human trafficking. An analysis of 942 court cases involving 3,121 offenders found that 74 per cent operated as part of a criminal group or network, while 26 per cent acted independently.
Men accounted for 70 per cent of convicted traffickers, while women represented 28 per cent, the report said.
— BERNAMA-ANADOLU