DUSHANBE, December 13, 2012, Asia-Plus —
The 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons
released by UNODC on December 12 revealed that adult women constitute the majority of the total trafficking victims in Central Asia.
In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, eight countries provided information on the profile of about 4,000 victims officially detected during the years considered by this report (2007-2010), the Report said. Adult women were the most frequently detected victims of trafficking in persons in Europe and Central Asia, as in the rest of the world. For the reporting period, the regional figures show an overall share of adult women of around 64 per cent of the total number of victims detected. Child trafficking accounts for 16 per cent of the victims detected in the whole region, while the share of adult men remains in the range of 19 per cent.
Adult women account for a share of about 80 per cent of the total victims detected in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, while in Western and Central Europe, this percentage is somewhat above 60 per cent. At the same time, the share of girls is some 10 per cent higher in Western and Central Europe than in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. About three of four child victims detected in Western and Central Europe are girls.
The Report notes that 27 per cent of all victims of human trafficking officially detected globally between 2007 and 2010 are children, up 7 per cent from the period 2003 to 2006.
“Human trafficking requires a forceful response founded on the assistance and protection for victims, rigorous enforcement by the criminal justice system, a sound migration policy and firm regulation of the labor markets,” said Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC of the findings.
Also worrying is the increase in the number of girl victims, who make up two thirds of all trafficked children. Girls now constitute 15 to 20 per cent of the total number of all detected victims, including adults, whereas boys comprise about 10 per cent, says the Report, which is based on official data supplied by 132 countries.
Victims of 136 countries were detected in 118 countries between 2007 and 2010, during which period, 460 different flows were identified. Around half of all trafficking took place within the same region with 27 per cent occurring within national borders. One exception is the Middle East, where most detected victims are East and South Asians.
There are significant regional differences in the detected forms of exploitation. Countries in Africa and in Asia generally intercept more cases of trafficking for forced labor, while sexual exploitation is somewhat more frequently found in Europe and in the Americas. Additionally, trafficking for organ removal was detected in 16 countries around the world.
Compared with other regions, Europe and Central Asia reported more cases of trafficking for sexual exploitation than for purposes of forced labor. During the reporting period, the share of victims trafficked for forced labor, slavery and servitude was 31 per cent of the victims detected in the region, while about 62 per cent of victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation.
The Report raises concerns about low conviction rates – 16 per cent of reporting countries did not record a single conviction for trafficking in persons between 2007 and 2010. On a positive note, 154 countries have ratified the United Nations Trafficking in Persons Protocol, of which UNODC is the guardian. Significant progress has been made in terms of legislation, as 83 per cent of countries now have a law that criminalizes trafficking in persons in accordance with the Protocol.
