Join us in the fight against child sex trafficking
Join us in recognizing World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
The global crisis will receive commemoration on July 30.
Do you know how many people experience trafficking around the world? The illegal practice reportedly reaches millions of women, men and children.
Raising awareness about the crime is key to reducing cases worldwide. In recognition of the global crisis, July 30 is commemorated as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
A glimpse of global findings
Cases of trafficking in persons are also known as human trafficking. They span the globe and affect all demographics of people. Yet certain life conditions that also threaten the well-being of many may also make some groups more vulnerable to the crime. Critical efforts in the global fight against human trafficking stem from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. They note that people around the world “who lack legal status, live in poverty, have limited access to education, healthcare, or decent work, face discrimination, violence, or abuse, or come from marginalized communities are often the primary targets of traffickers.”
While a threat to all, the experience of human trafficking can vary by population. Global findings UNODC offers in their 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons about women, men and children’s exposure to trafficking identified in 2020 include:
- Males accounted for 40% of reported victims. They experienced a rise of 3 percentage points as reported female victims fell by 11 percentage points.
- Female victims of any age were found to be 3 times more likely to endure physical or extreme violence. These cases included sexual violence.
- Children were found to be 1.7 times more likely to experience physical or extreme violence than adults.
Global trafficking in persons does not occur only at a distance from the United States. More than 115,000 victims of human trafficking were identified in the country in 2022 alone.
Drops in detection, but not suspected cases
As the conditions that communities experience change, so can reported crime rates. Human trafficking is no exception.
In the same 2022 global report, UNODC explains that as global travel rates dropped drastically amidst the pandemic in 2020, so did reported rates connected to trafficking. Specifically, that year, detected rates of trafficking reportedly fell by 11%. Convictions for trafficking also reportedly dropped by 27%.
These decreases could seem to suggest that trafficking operations were among those to slow down during the global health crisis. But there are other possible explanations. One offered by UNODC is that the “COVID-19 pandemic also changed the characteristics of trafficking, pushing it further underground and potentially increasing the dangers to victims by making the crime less likely to come to the attention of the authorities.” The changes would mean that while the visibility of global trafficking decreased, vulnerability to the crime experienced by millions did not. A shift to more underground operations could lead to less known cases among global communities. Yet it does not have to lead to fewer victims and survivors of the crime receiving help.
How you can help support those exposed to human trafficking
To raise awareness of human trafficking happening globally, UNODC leads an annual campaign. The campaign will commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30. The theme for 2023 is “Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one behind.”
According to UNODC, the campaign “aims to raise awareness of disturbing developments and trends identified by UNODC … [It]calls on governments, law enforcement, public services, and civil society to assess and enhance their efforts to strengthen prevention, identify and support victims, and end impunity.” Uniting these voices around the world would create an equally vast support network. With this network, awareness and relief efforts could cross the boundaries of country borders. In this sense, opportunities to offer support become available to all communities worldwide.
What opportunities are open to you this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons? The UNODC campaign offers many ways for global communities to help raise awareness and show support on July 30 and beyond. These include:
- Post a blue heart image or the blue heart logo on any of your social media accounts.
- Share facts about the latest global trafficking report.
- Use the hashtag #EndHumanTrafficking and more ways.
A social media package featuring the campaign’s visuals, videos and key messages is available to all participants on Trello. Those who want to create more visuals can also access free graphic design templates.
Are you looking to take your support for those exposed to human trafficking even further? Consider attending the National Human Trafficking Prevention Summit Aug. 3–4. The summit is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Sessions will be open to all to attend online by livestream. Registration for the event is not required.