The number of victims of human trafficking has increased dramatically in the world - UN

This is what Global is told in the report on human trafficking of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, reports Ukrinform.

In 2022, the latest year for which data is available, the number of known victims worldwide increased by 25% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the report said. The sharp drop in 2020 was mostly not followed the following year.

"Criminals are increasingly using people for forced labor, including coercing them to participate in a variety of online and cyber frauds, and women and girls are at risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence," the report said, stressing that the primary responsibility organized crime is responsible for this.

In 2022, children accounted for 38% of identified trafficking victims, compared to 35% in 2020.

The latest report showed that adult women remain the largest group affected, accounting for 39% of cases, followed by men at 23%, girls at 22% and boys at 16%.

The total number of victims in 2022 was 69.

The most common reason for trafficking women and girls was sexual exploitation — 60%, followed by forced labor. For men it was forced labor and for boys it was forced labor and "other purposes." These other targets include, in particular, enforced crime and enforced begging. The report notes that the increase in the number of boys identified as victims of human trafficking may be related to the increase in the number of unaccompanied minors arriving in Europe and North America.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the highest number of victims at 26%, although there are many different trafficking routes.

While the increase in the number of victims of human trafficking may be due to improved detection, the report's authors note that it is more likely a combination of this factor and the increase in human trafficking in general.

According to the report, the largest increases in the number of detected cases of human trafficking occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and the Western and Southern Europe region, with migrant inflows being a significant factor in the latter two regions.