Regional Trends of Human Trafficking
Posted by Huibert Fousert on
While doing their ten year study the UNODC identified no country is exempt from human trafficking, which led into a broader awareness of regional human trafficking. Identifying the nine sub regions led to insight into migration, person profiles and trend information.
The nine sub regions are Western and Southern Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North America, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, Sub Saharan Africa, and North Africa and Middle East.
For most of these regions women were the most victimized. Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa were the exceptions with a higher number of adult males, adults in general, or boys.
Typically most regions trafficked for some form of sexual exploitation, again the exceptions found were the previously mentioned regions along with North Africa and Middle East. All of these countries had forced labor as the most frequently detected exploitation.
The majority of convictions are men, however Eastern Europe and Central Asia had 55 percent convicted women. South Asia did not have enough data to provide, but it is estimated it may be a higher woman offender rate as well.
Domestic trafficking trends have increased, but this is usually attributed to a larger understanding of human trafficking. North America saw about 47 percent domestic trafficked victims, Central America and the Caribbean had about 56 percent, 78 percent domestic trafficking occured in South America, and South Asia had the most at 88 percent.
Developed countries have seen an increase in transactions take place online. The United States, in particular, estimated that about 70 percent of transactions occur online.
Understanding the regional trends of human trafficking will lead to better convictions by governmental agencies. As well as assistance for organizations to identify at-risk individuals to prevent and rescue.