Human trafficking has increased sharply due to conflict, climate-related disasters and global crises, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, released on Wednesday, the 11th of December, reports Reuters.
The report said that in 2022, the latest year for which data is widely available, the number of known victims of human trafficking worldwide was 25% higher than in 2019, before the pandemic.
The sharp drop in 2020 largely disappeared the following year.
“Criminals are increasingly trafficking people for forced labour, including by coercing them into sophisticated online fraud and cyber scams, while women and girls face the risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence,” the report said, adding that organised crime was mainly responsible.
Children accounted for 38% of all victims, up from 35% reported in 2020.
The latest report shows that adult women remain the largest group of victims, with 39% of cases, followed by men (23%), girls (22%) and boys (16%).
The total number of known victims in 2022 was 69 627.
Sexual exploitation was the most common reason for trafficking of women and girls, accounting for 60% or more, followed by forced labour. For men, it was forced labour, while for boys it was forced labour and other purposes, which include forced criminality and forced begging.
The report notes that the largest number of trafficking victims came from sub-Saharan Africa, 26%, although there are many different trafficking routes.
There was also an increase in the number of trafficking cases detected in sub-Saharan Africa, North America and the “Western and Southern Europe” region, with the influx of migration being a significant factor in the latter two regions.
While the increased number of trafficking cases could be explained by better detection methods, the report states that it is likely to be the result of both this factor and the increase in trafficking overall.