Trafficking in Human Beings

Report: Measures to combat trafficking in human beings in Benin, Nigeria and Togo -  cover  / report

Report: Trafficking in human beings: Global Patterns - click here

Toolkit to combat trafficking in persons - English - Russian - Arabic - Spanish - French

From Himalayan villages to Eastern European cities, people - especially women and girls - are attracted by the prospect of a well-paid job as a domestic servant, waitress or factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake advertisements, mail-order bride catalogues and casual acquaintances.

Upon arrival at their destination, victims are placed in conditions controlled by traffickers while they are exploited to earn illicit revenues. Many are physically confined, their travel or identity documents are taken away and they or their families are threatened if they do not cooperate. Women and girls forced to work as prostitutes are blackmailed by the threat that traffickers will tell their families. Trafficked children are dependent on their traffickers for food, shelter and other basic necessities. Traffickers also play on victims' fears that authorities in a foreign country will prosecute or deport them if they ask for help.

Trafficking in human beings is a global issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses and the design of countermeasures is scarce. There is a need to strengthen the criminal justice response to trafficking through legislative reform, awareness-raising and training, as well as through national and international cooperation. The support and protection of victims who give evidence is key to prosecuting the ringleaders behind the phenomenon.

What if the victim consents? Can children consent?
How is "trafficking in persons" different from the smuggling of migrants?

Find out more information about human trafficking.

Summary of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.
Status of Convention and Protocols.

UN Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings

The Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT) was designed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC) in collaboration with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute ( UNICRI) and launched in March 1999. GPAT assists Member States in their efforts to combat trafficking in human beings. It highlights the involvement of organized criminal groups in human trafficking and promotes the development of effective ways of cracking down on perpetrators.

The GPAT's' overarching objective is to bring to the foreground the involvement of organized criminal groups in human trafficking and to promote the development of effective criminal justice-related responses. As the only entity focusing on the criminal justice element, the GPAT, working through UNODC's Crime Programme, brings special advantages to the fight against trafficking.

Leaflet about trafficking in persons and the Global Programme:  Arabic - Chinese - English - French - Russian - Spanish (all pdf) 

Outline of GPAT

The GPAT's key components are data collection, assessment and technical cooperation.

Assessment

The assessment component of the Programme, performed in cooperation with UNICRI, includes data collection on various smuggling routes and the methods used by organized criminal groups in trafficking. The UN is also collecting "best practices" used in combating trafficking and the involvement of organized crime. A database containing trafficking trends and routes, as well as information about victims and traffickers has been established so that policymakers, practitioners, researchers and the NGO community can use the collected data..

Countries involved in the GPAT are selected from Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America and will be assessed according to:

• smuggling routes and forms of exploitation of trafficked people;
• cooperation among law enforcement, prosecution and judiciary; and
• government efforts to respond, including recent legislative reforms.

Technical Cooperation

On the basis of the assessments, seven countries are now involved in technical cooperation projects. Specific intervention measures are being introduced that are designed to strengthen the capacity to combat forms of trafficking at the national and international levels. These measures will assist countries of origin, transit and destination to develop joint strategies and practical actions. ( technical cooperation modules)

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At the national level the Programme aims to:

• promote awareness-raising (such as public awareness campaigns) of trafficking in human beings and especially strengthen institutional capacity;
• train law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges;
• advise on drafting and revising relevant legislation;
• provide advice and assistance on establishing and strengthening anti-trafficking elements; and
• strengthen victim and witness support.

At the international level the Programme aims to:

• provide assistance to agencies, institutions and governments as part of an interdisciplinary effort to design effective measures against trafficking in human beings.
  

GPAT cooperates closely with other intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in the implementation of its activities, including on awareness-raising.