Human Trafficking

Trafficking in persons is emerging as one of the most serious and complex human rights challenges. The scale of human trafficking is notoriously difficult to determine, with global estimates ranging anywhere from 500,000 to several million people trafficked every year. However, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of victims are women and children.

The interplay of human trafficking and armed conflict is intricate. Trafficking thrives in environments lacking in effective law and order, including in conflict-affected countries, which can both become a source and a transit point. The predominant types of trafficking can vary greatly by conflict stage and by region, yet several crimes are common to many conflicts. The rate of these crimes increases significantly immediately before and during conflict, especially in places with large numbers of displaced persons and high levels of violence against women.

Destitute and displaced populations are particularly at risk of enforced prostitution and cross-border trafficking when living in or returning from camps, or when searching for livelihoods. Countless women and children have being abducted into armed groups as forced labourers, combatants and sex slaves. Women may be driven into sexual exploitation by desperation to provide for their families.

Peace operations present their own distinct challenges. Members of peacekeeping units have been directly implicated in trafficking and sexual exploitation and abuse in many conflict zones, while criminal organizations capitalize on the sudden influx of peace operations personnel by opening and expanding prostitution and trafficking rings.

In recent years, however, a number of policy and legal responses have advanced the process of addressing these crimes. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which entered into force in 2002, defines the trafficking of women in the context of armed conflict as a war crime and a crime against humanity. The United Nations has made considerable efforts to address the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse by its peace operations personnel, although problems remain. The UN Security Council has also responded through the adoption of resolutions on the protection of civilians; children and armed conflict; and women, peace and security.

In 2007, the United Nations established the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), aimed at identifying all types of trafficking crimes, raising awareness, strengthening research and collection of statistics, and providing technical assistance to help prevent human trafficking.

UN Women’s Approach

UN Women has taken a broad range of initiatives to help prevent the trafficking of women and girls and to assist victims, including:

• collaborating with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with particular focus on addressing the risks to migrant girls and women in post-conflict societies;
• advocating with governments in order to place the issue of trafficking on the agenda;
• working with national partners in the justice and security sectors in conflict-affected counties to establish effective responses to the trafficking of women and girls and to meet the needs of victims;
• supporting the development of local capacities to protect women’s human rights and carry out research; and
• conducting and supporting awareness-raising campaigns aimed at educating women and girls on risks associated with trafficking and on prevention issues.

Examples of UN Women’s work around the world:

• In the occupied Palestinian territory, UN Women has partnered with local women’s organizations to compile data and publish a report, with the aim of breaking the silence on the issue.
• In Cambodia, UN Women has conducted research on the link between poverty and trafficking, and supported women’s groups in organizing training workshops for police and community leaders, which have helped to combat domestic violence and trafficking.
• In Nigeria, UN Women has organized workshops with police officers to raise their awareness of human trafficking and gender-based violence, educate them on relevant legislation, and highlight the need to improve women’s access to justice.
• In East Asia, UN Women has developed toolkits on developing the capacity of national and local practitioners, including women’s organizations, to prevent and respond to trafficking crimes.