UN releases its 2014 report on human trafficking
The Global Report 2014 highlights the role of organized crime in trafficking in persons, and includes an analytical chapter on how traffickers operate. The worldwide response to trafficking in persons is also a focus of this years edition of the Global Report.
The findings of the report are shocking. Perhaps one of the most disturbing statistics was the report found that one in three known victims of human trafficking is a child - a 5 per cent increase compared to the 2007-2010 period. Girls make up 2 out of every 3 child victims, and together with women, account for 70 per cent of overall trafficking victims worldwide.
No country is immune from the problem of human trafficking. There are at least 152 countries of origin and 124 countries of destination affected by trafficking in persons, and over 510 trafficking flows criss-crossing the world. Trafficking mostly occurs within national borders or within the same region, with transcontinental trafficking mainly affecting rich countries.
In some regions - such as Africa and the Middle East - child trafficking is a major concern, with children constituting 62 per cent of victims.
The report highlights that impunity remains a serious problem: 40 per cent of countries recorded few or no convictions, and over the past 10 years there has been no discernible increase in the global criminal justice response to this crime, leaving a significant portion of the population vulnerable to offenders.
Many countries have recently passed legislation criminalizing trafficking in persons as a specific offence. However, definitions of human trafficking vary, as does the capacity to identify offenders and victims. The overall criminal justice response to trafficking in persons, which has historically been very weak, has not improved.
