Men, women and children are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders. Trafficking affects every continent and every country.
Every country is affected by human trafficking, whether it's an origin country where people are trafficked from; a transit country where people are trafficked through; or a destination country where people are trafficked to. Often a country will be all three. Men, women and children are trafficked.
Due to the hidden and illegal nature of human trafficking, gathering statistics on the scale of the problem is difficult. The following statistics may represent an underestimation, but are the most credible and frequently quoted.
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People trafficking is the fastest growing means by which people are enslaved, the fastest growing international crime, and one of the largest sources of income for organised crime. |
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1.2 million children are trafficked every year |
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Human trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide exceeded only by drugs trafficking.
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600,000-800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 80 per cent are women and girls. Up to 50% are minors. — US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007 |
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At least 20.9 million people are victims of forced labour worldwide. While it is difficult to establish a precise amount, conservative 2012 research estimated trafficking victims as comprising some 44 per cent of this figure. —ILO 2012 Global Estimate of Forced Labour
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There are even reports that some trafficking groups are switching their cargo from drugs to human beings, in a search of high profits at lower risk. |
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The majority of trafficked victims arguably come from the poorest countries and poorest strata of the national population. — A global alliance against forced labor, International Labor Organisation, 2005 |
