World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

 Preventing human trafficking may take many forms in the short and long term, with more or less correlated and measurable impact. While awareness-raising initiatives that are context, public and vulnerability specific may have a preventive effect on trafficking, other measures addressing root causes for trafficking in persons , or interventions tailored to sectors that can be breeding grounds for trafficking in persons could also be considered.  In the context of transnational trafficking in persons, considering the increasing push on human mobility from conflicts and climate change, and to reduce risks of trafficking connected with smuggling of migrants, who become more vulnerable to exploitation while on the move, national authorities should consider legal channels for refugee movement and broadening the scope of regular pathways for migrants that foster safe and dignified journeys for people who need to move across borders.   To address the root causes of human mobili...

In order to detect trafficking in persons in its various forms and identify victims , the role of a wider range of stakeholders needs to be recognized. This would contribute to supporting the efforts of criminal Justice practitioners in addressing the crime and support in bringing assistance and providing protection to victims. In light of the growing trend of trafficking for forced labour, national authorities should provide labour inspectors and social workers with the tools and indicators to integrate trafficking as a serious threat to workers and refer suspicious cases to the appropriate services.  Civil society organizations, NGOs and communities usually have privileged access to the population, especially the most vulnerable, and can play a pivotal role in building relationships with trafficking victims to support their difficult and often non-linear journey's out of trafficking.  National authorities should protect and support their role, and put in place safeguards for...

 For many years, the sexual exploitation of women was identified as the main form of trafficking in persons. This has changed considerably over the years. Trafficking for forced labour is now widely reported and is the main form of trafficking in man\ regions as well as globally, affecting male and female, child and adult victims, Trafficking for forced criminality including in the emerging form of online scams, ranks third in terms of number of victims detected. The way cases are handled by the criminal justice systems does not seem to reflect this development, as traffickers involved in sexual exploitation still disproportionately represent the largest share of convictions.There is a need to broaden the perspective and assist national institutions in developing a more comprehensive understanding of trafficking in all its forms to address all types of exploitation and identify all victims . The international community and national authorities need to conceptualize and desig...

As children are increasingly detected among victims of trafficking, national authorities should ensure that child protection services, including care facilities, are sensitized and equipped to detect and refer cases of child exploitation and pay particular attention to children’s vulnerabilities to being trafficked. As the link between child labour and harmful practices such as forced and earl\ marriage that lead to trafficking in children is increasingly established, the international community should reinvigorate campaigns to end child labour in all its forms (SDG 8.7) and to eliminate child, early and forced marriage (SDG 5.3) as well as support the adoption of national legal frameworks to address these issues. Trafficking of girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation is recording an alarming increase in many regions of the world. The international community and national authorities should increase efforts to prevent this form of trafficking, to ensure victim-centred and trauma...

  The Findings of this edition of the Global report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 show that most countries are detecting an increasing number of trafficking victims and obtaining more convictions after the downturn recorded in 2020. However, not all countries have returned to their pre-pandemic levels. Certain forms of trafficking such as forced labour, forced criminality and child trafficking are confirmed to be on the rise. Trafficking in person s remains a global phenomenon affecting all countries, either as countries of recruitment or exploitation, the crime requires a combination of responses at all levels: global, regional, national and sub-national. While there has been great progress in setting up national legislations, challenges remain that require adequate operational responses to address prevention, protection and prosecutions for a crime that data proves evolves and adapts to changes in society. Through the Pact for the Future , the international community has renewe...