21 million people enslaved , trafficked worldwide

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New York : United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged all the countries and people to reaffirm commitment to stop criminals from ruthlessly exploiting people for profit and to help victims rebuild their lives on World Day against Trafficking in Persons ( July 30 ) .

United Nations Secretary General  Guterres , in a message on the occasion of World Day against Trafficking in Persons , said , “ Armed conflict, displacement, climate change, natural disasters and poverty exacerbate the vulnerabilities and desperation that enable trafficking to flourish. Migrants are being targeted. Thousands of people have died at sea, in deserts and in detention centres, at the hands of traffickers and migrant smugglers plying their monstrous, merciless trades.”

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects every region of the world. Some 72 per cent of detected victims are women and girls, and the percentage of child victims has more than doubled from 2004 to 2016, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Most detected victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation; victims are also trafficked for forced labour, recruitment as child soldiers and other forms of exploitation and abuse.

Traffickers and terrorist groups prey on the vulnerable, from people in poverty to those caught up in war or who face discrimination, he said.

“ Multilateral action has generated progress, including through the Palermo Convention and its Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Most countries have the necessary laws in place, and some countries recently recorded their first trafficking convictions. But more needs to be done to bring transnational trafficking networks to justice and, most of all, to ensure that victims are identified and can access the protection and services they need, “he said.

According to IPS , the darkest underbelly of human existence hides right in front of us – modern day slaves are the foundation of the third largest criminal economy on the planet.

The International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million men, women and children are enslaved and trafficked around the world today. Close to 70 per cent of these people are exploited in industrial sectors like mining, construction, agriculture and domestic work, creating profits of $150 Billion annually.

Similarly , 3.7 million people are victims of of forced labour in Africa, but the Asia-Pacific region accounts for the largest number of modern day slaves in the world, at 11.7 million people.

According to the U.S. State Department, “human trafficking can be found in a favourite restaurant, a hotel, downtown, a farm, or in [a] neighbour’s home.”

In the United Kingdom, an estimated 136,000 people are exploited with poor wages and atrocious living conditions.

The National Crime Agency finds victims predominantly from Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, working in car washes, construction, farming and food processing.

A 2018 report by the Global Slavery Index found that almost half a million (403,000) people are trapped in modern day slavery in the United States – seven times more than previously reported.

“The persistence of this tragedy is at the root of its being addressed by the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. With individuals, educators, charity institutions, businesses and Governments each taking incremental steps towards realizing The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, it will be possible to curb this nefarious business,” IPS reports.

Inputs : UN/ IPS

July 29 , 2019

Photo : A victim of human trafficking / UNODC