Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons

Abstract

Human trafficking is a modern version of slavery, representing one of the most worrying problems of our current society. Far from being only a national phenomenon, human trafficking has reached a transnational, international level and, in the context of globalization, it continues to develop new dimensions that transform it in a malfeasant phenomenon, impossible to control, prevent or combat efficiently. Every year, more and more persons become victims of human trafficking, being treated as pieces of merchandise that can be sold and bought. These victims are, usually, forced to work in sex industry, but also in agriculture or enterprises (in harsh working conditions), sometimes on the black market, being paid miserably or not being paid at all. According to the latest Report of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2012),2 victims of human trafficking belonging to, at least, 136 different nationalities were detected in 118 countries worldwide between 2007-2010. Women and girls together account for about 75 percent of all trafficking victims detected globally. Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation accounts for 58 per cent of all trafficking cases detected globally, while trafficking for forced labor accounts for 36 per cent (the share of detected cases of trafficking for forced labor has doubled between 2008-2012). Victims trafficked for begging account for about 1.5 per cent of the victims detected globally and trafficking for the removal of organs has been detected in 16 countries in all regions of the world.