News Investigators/ A report released on Wednesday by the United Nations agency reported a 25 per cent increase in detected human trafficking victims globally in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), attributed the surge to factors such as poverty, conflicts, and climate disasters, which have heightened vulnerabilities to exploitation.
The report highlighted significant increases in child trafficking, trafficking for forced labour, and forced criminality during the period.
Globally, the number of victims trafficked for forced labour surged by 47 per cent in 2022 over that in 2019.
Detected child victims increased by 31 per cent, with the number of trafficked girls rising by 38 per cent, according to the report.
The report, which analysed data from 156 countries, revealed that women and girls constituted 61 per cent of trafficking victims worldwide in 2022. Of the girl victims, 60 per cent were trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Trafficking for forced criminality, including online scams, showed a sharp rise, growing from one per cent of total detected victims in 2016 to eight per cent in 2022.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly called for strengthened criminal justice measures to hold top perpetrators accountable, enhanced cross-border collaboration to rescue victims, and increased support for survivors.
