The 2024 UNODC Global Report on Human Trafficking collected data from 156 countries across most regions and subregions. According to the report, the total number of human trafficking victims worldwide in 2022 was over 69,600, a 43% increase compared to 2020, when the number of cases recorded sharply dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This figure even exceeds pre-pandemic levels by 25%. Preliminary data for 2023 indicates that this trend continues, proving that human trafficking is spreading to every corner of the world.
This UNODC report dedicates an entire chapter to Africa. As a region heavily affected by severe crises, Africa has often been overlooked in studies on human trafficking due to challenges in data collection. With support from international and regional organisations, as well as the authorities of many African countries, UNODC provides detailed information on this pressing issue. According to the report, the sub-Saharan region of Africa accounts for the largest proportion of human trafficking victims globally, with 26%.
UNODC points out that women remain the primary targets of human traffickers, followed by men, girls, and boys. However, the number of child victims is increasing at an alarming rate.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly expressed concern that victims are often subjected to forced labour, including begging or being coerced into participating in scams and online fraud. According to Waly, women and girls are also at risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.
In addition to painting this grim picture, United Nations experts have made recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of human trafficking prevention efforts. The legal system must be strengthened to tackle the increasingly sophisticated and audacious methods of human trafficking networks. Protective and supportive measures for children should be integrated into anti-trafficking mechanisms, along with efforts to end child labour. Prevention work is essential, including improving the quality of reports and raising public awareness about human trafficking. Experts also suggest prioritising protecting victims’ safety and dignity rather than blaming or criticising them for being too trusting.
In reality, efforts to combat human trafficking are receiving growing international attention and are being intensified.
At an INTERPOL conference in Glasgow, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described human trafficking networks as a global security threat and affirmed that London would apply a counter-terrorism approach to address this challenge. The UK’s recent increase in cooperation with European Union (EU) member countries to combat migrant trafficking networks shows that this is not just empty rhetoric. This year, a large-scale human trafficking crackdown campaign by INTERPOL has resulted in the arrest of thousands of suspects, with thousands of victims and individuals at risk of being targeted by traffickers being rescued.
The current global turmoil has raised concerns about the rise of criminal organisations, as well as the fate of those who are turned into commodities in transnational trafficking networks.
UNODC’s report, along with many calls to action in recent times, emphasises the shared responsibility of countries to strengthen actions that hold the masterminds behind human trafficking networks accountable while also addressing the root causes of this issue.
