Dec. 11, 2024

Child trafficking, trafficking for forced labour and forced criminality are rising as poverty, conflict, and climate change leave more people vulnerable to exploitation, according to the latest United Nations Trafficking in Persons report.

The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons published on Wednesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) presents a global picture of the patterns and flows of trafficking and regional analyses in the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Global overview

Globally, a 25 per cent increase in the number of trafficking victims detected was recorded in 2022 compared to 2019 pre-pandemic figures. The most common forms of exploitation are forced labour, sexual exploitation, and forced criminality.

The number of detected child victims increased by 31 per cent and represented 38 per cent of all victims detected. Girls were increasingly detected in several regions, including in parts of Europe.

Boys are typically detected in forced labour and forced criminality, while girls are mostly trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Handcuff attached to a bed with text saying the global number of victims of human trafficking is on the rise
Root causes of trafficking and its impact on Europe.

Poverty and social inequality, along with prolonged conflicts, are among the root causes of trafficking in persons, often resulting in victims being exploited in their attempts to address their economic needs.

The African continent is the region of the world most affected by armed conflicts and, thus, with the highest number of conflict-related displacements.

Such circumstances place people at severe risk of being trafficked by criminals seeking to profit from their vulnerabilities.

Although most African victims were trafficked within the continent, nationals from African countries experiencing conflicts accounted for about 2,000 victims detected in Europe.

In Africa, the impact of climate change and weather-induced disasters are also key factors leading to the growing numbers of domestic as well as cross-border trafficking, mainly to Europe and the Middle East.

According to UNODC, the volume of displacement resulting from climate change recorded in Africa is correlated with the number of African victims of trafficking detected in Europe. These victims are primarily adults for forced labour and sexual exploitation.

In the context of trafficking occurring along migration routes, the same actors involved in the smuggling industry may collaborate with or operate as trafficking networks aiming at exploiting migrants.

Trafficking flows

In 2022, at least 162 different nationalities were trafficked to 128 countries of destination, although most victims were trafficked within national borders (58 per cent). The regions most affected by cross-border trafficking are the Middle East and Western and Southern Europe.

Western and Southern European countries saw the most significant rise in detections on the continent, increasing by 45% compared to 2019. Most victims detected were adults, with a higher share of men (39 per cent) than women (28 per cent). In this region, victims are mainly trafficked for forced labour, including into agriculture, restaurants, and cleaning/domestic work sectors.

They come from many parts of the world, including South-Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, South Asia, and East Asia.

Growing challenges and renewed commitments

Trafficking in persons remains a global phenomenon affecting all countries, either as countries of recruitment or exploitation. Tackling this crime requires a combination of responses at all levels: global, regional, national, and sub-national levels.

While there has been significant progress in setting up national legislation, challenges that require adequate operational responses to address prevention, protection, and prosecutions for a crime that has proven to evolve and adapt to societal changes remain.

Through the Pact for the Future, the international community has renewed its commitment to “intensify international, regional, and national efforts to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and eliminate all forms of child labour”.

The 2024 edition covers 156 countries from all regions and subregions of the world, registering the best country coverage for the report since its first edition in 2009. The Report also features a chapter dedicated to Africa.