Financial Crime World

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Human Trafficking: A Complex Issue Requiring a Modernized Approach

Introduction

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - Asian Pacific Group (APG) has released a report providing an overview of human trafficking, including its scope, victims, and geographical routes. This report highlights the complexity of human trafficking flows and the need for a modernized approach to understanding this issue.

Estimates of Human Trafficking

  • There is no estimate of the number of people affected by human trafficking for the removal of organs.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that between 5-10% of all organ transplants conducted worldwide were conducted “illegally”, which could comprise human trafficking for the purpose of removal of organs.

Profile of Victims

Demographics

  • In 2014, 28% of detected victims in human trafficking were children and 71% of the detected victims were female.
  • The proportion of men and boys among the detected victims has grown from 16% in 2004 to 29% in 2014.

Exploitation Methods

  • Female victims (72%) were mostly trafficked for sexual exploitation, while male victims (85.7%) were mostly trafficked for forced labor exploitation.

Geographical Routes and Trafficking Flows

Human trafficking affects virtually all countries around the globe. The report considers domestic, regional, and trans-regional trafficking flows.

Domestic Human Trafficking Flows

  • The majority of forced laborers in economic activities have not moved away from their home area.
  • Studies show that 43% of victims in the period 2012-2014 were trafficked domestically.

Regional Trafficking Flows

  • Common regional trafficking flows include victims trafficked from South-Eastern Europe to Western Europe, from the Andean countries to the Southern Cone in South America, and from East Asia to the Pacific.
  • The report highlights that most countries are either predominantly a source or destination of trafficking victims.

Trans-Regional Trafficking

  • Countries with developed economies remain key destinations for trans-regional trafficking.
  • Victims tend to originate from countries with less developed economies.
  • The UNODC found that the Middle East, as well as most countries in Western and Southern Europe and North America, reported being destinations for trans-regional and long-distance trafficking.

Conclusion

Overall, this report highlights the complexity of human trafficking flows and the need for a modernized approach to understanding this issue. It also emphasizes the importance of addressing the root causes of human trafficking and providing support to victims.