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ABOUT THE
ISSUE
What is Trafficking in Persons?
Trafficking in persons is the illegal
movement of people, within national or across international
borders for the purposes of exploitation in the form of
commercial sex, domestic service or manual labour.
It’s an illegal industry that generates between 7$ billion and
12$ billion US annually.
United Nations definition on trafficking:
www.unodc.org
Where Is It Happening and Who Are The Victims?
Trafficking is a global issue and an
estimated 700,000 to 2,000,000 people are trafficked annually
across international borders.[1]
It affects men, women and children, but around 50% of all
victims are children.[2]
> In Thailand: the government reports that 60,000 children are
sold into prostitution.[3]
> In the former Soviet Union: an estimated 10,000 women have
been forced into prostitution in Israel.[4]
> In North America: Asian women are sold to brothels for
$16,000 each.[5]
> For many years, boys, from the age of six and sometimes
younger, have been trafficked from countries in South Asia to
the Gulf to supply the demand for camel jockeys.[6]
Trafficking in the UK
The UK is just as affected by the issue
than anywhere else. Amnesty International’s web site states:
> Women and girls from Moldova, Romania, Albania, Thailand,
Nigeria and Sierra Leone are known to be trafficked into the UK
for sexual exploitation.[7]
> In 1998, the Home office reported that around 1,400 women
were trafficked into the UK for exploitation. The number is
thought to have risen significantly since.[8]
> The Metropolitan Police estimate that trafficked women are
forced to see 30 to 40 clients per day.[9]
Why Does It Happen?
Trafficking is a huge and complex
problem. It’s fuelled by numerous factors, which include:
> Poverty – people seek a ‘better life’ overseas or need to
provide for family members back home.
> The impact of war in creating ‘displaced’ people groups,
which are easier to move around untracked.
> The rise of the Internet, which makes it so much easier to
promote and sell trafficked people.
How Does It Happen?
People get caught up in trafficking as they are attracted
by the prospect of a well-paid job as a domestic servant,
waitress or in manual labour. Traffickers work through networks
and recruit victims through fake advertisements, mail-order
bride catalogues and casual acquaintances.
On arrival at their destination, the victims find themselves in
very different circumstances, being forced into commercial sex
or labour work. Traffickers work to create fear and dependency
amongst their victims, by getting them addicted to hard drugs,
taking away travel or ID documents or threatening to harm their
families if they don’t co-operate.
1 The US Government “Trafficking in Persons
Report” and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
2 www.polarisproject.org
3 The Salvation Army IHQ web site
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Anti-Slavery International, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf
States", Child Workers in Asia, April-September
7 Amnesty International Web Site
8 The Salvation Army IHQ web site
9 Amnesty International Web Site
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