16:50, December 04, 2010
The UN observed the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on Thursday, marking the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 19th century. Today the practice of slavery remains prevalent throughout the world, yet it has taken on a new form under the guise of "human trafficking."
"Human trafficking is a highly complex issue, which cuts across a number of areas such as criminal justice, human rights, and economic and social development," an official of the Vienna-based UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) told Xinhua in a recent interview via email.
Sandra Kozeschnik, focal point on civil society partnerships and victim support for UN.GIFT, said more needs to be done to improve and expand upon support structures for the people who have fallen victim to this form of modern day slavery.
According to the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 (TIP report), 12.3 million adults and children are trafficked around the world. However, the estimates vary as millions of people are enslaved and exploited with no way to report their circumstance.
Whether it is the boy kidnapped to serve as a child soldier in the armed groups of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo or the migrant Cambodian woman sold into sex slavery in Thailand, the numbers remain in the shadows, as do the victims of the crime.
"Other forms of exploitation such as forced or bonded labor, domestic servitude, forced marriage, organ removal as well as the exploitation of children for begging, warfare and petty crime are seriously under-reported," said Kozeschnik.
"The lack of comprehensive, long-term data as well as a rise in irregular migration flows and insufficient resources for the fight against trafficking aggravate the situation," she added.
BILLIONS IN REVENUE, NOTHING IN JUSTICE
Ten years after the UN adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, known as the Palermo Protocol, human trafficking is a growing multi-billion U.S. dollar industry.
"Trafficking is further fueled by the rising demand for commercial sex and cheap construction, manufacturing, agricultural and domestic labor," noted Kozeschnik.
The UN International Labor Organization (ILO), estimates the total market value of illicit human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars a year -- approximately half that amount is made in industrialized countries.
"To date, women and children who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation have been the group of victims who have been most commonly identified," said Kozeschnik. The sexual exploitation of women and children is estimated to earn 28 billion U.S. dollars per year.
"Vulnerable groups are often those affected by gender inequality, the absence of equal opportunity, social exclusion, economic disparities, corruption, and the failure of states to protect and provide for their citizens," she added.
Migrant populations are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, as illegal debts on laborers in the source country become reinforced in the destination country and result in a form of slavery known as "debt bondage."
Meanwhile, out of the millions of trafficking victims across the globe only around 49,000 were rescued last year and many face no alternative to being deported back to their home countries.
Out of the 150 countries that adopted the UN Palermo Protocol, 104 have no laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims' deportation.
"While the criminal networks operate successfully internationally, the criminal justice response and victim support structures are often fragmented and constrained to national territories," said Kozeschnik.
Listening to the survivors of trafficking themselves is not only crucial to combating the crime, but also to raising awareness on the issue, she noted.
"We need to consolidate the lessons of the 10 years since the inception of the protocol and create a new stepping-off point for the future," in order to "ensure that we learn from the past," said Kozeschnik.
Source: Xinhua
"Human trafficking is a highly complex issue, which cuts across a number of areas such as criminal justice, human rights, and economic and social development," an official of the Vienna-based UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) told Xinhua in a recent interview via email.
Sandra Kozeschnik, focal point on civil society partnerships and victim support for UN.GIFT, said more needs to be done to improve and expand upon support structures for the people who have fallen victim to this form of modern day slavery.
According to the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 (TIP report), 12.3 million adults and children are trafficked around the world. However, the estimates vary as millions of people are enslaved and exploited with no way to report their circumstance.
Whether it is the boy kidnapped to serve as a child soldier in the armed groups of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo or the migrant Cambodian woman sold into sex slavery in Thailand, the numbers remain in the shadows, as do the victims of the crime.
"Other forms of exploitation such as forced or bonded labor, domestic servitude, forced marriage, organ removal as well as the exploitation of children for begging, warfare and petty crime are seriously under-reported," said Kozeschnik.
"The lack of comprehensive, long-term data as well as a rise in irregular migration flows and insufficient resources for the fight against trafficking aggravate the situation," she added.
BILLIONS IN REVENUE, NOTHING IN JUSTICE
Ten years after the UN adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, known as the Palermo Protocol, human trafficking is a growing multi-billion U.S. dollar industry.
"Trafficking is further fueled by the rising demand for commercial sex and cheap construction, manufacturing, agricultural and domestic labor," noted Kozeschnik.
The UN International Labor Organization (ILO), estimates the total market value of illicit human trafficking at 32 billion U.S. dollars a year -- approximately half that amount is made in industrialized countries.
"To date, women and children who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation have been the group of victims who have been most commonly identified," said Kozeschnik. The sexual exploitation of women and children is estimated to earn 28 billion U.S. dollars per year.
"Vulnerable groups are often those affected by gender inequality, the absence of equal opportunity, social exclusion, economic disparities, corruption, and the failure of states to protect and provide for their citizens," she added.
Migrant populations are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, as illegal debts on laborers in the source country become reinforced in the destination country and result in a form of slavery known as "debt bondage."
Meanwhile, out of the millions of trafficking victims across the globe only around 49,000 were rescued last year and many face no alternative to being deported back to their home countries.
Out of the 150 countries that adopted the UN Palermo Protocol, 104 have no laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims' deportation.
"While the criminal networks operate successfully internationally, the criminal justice response and victim support structures are often fragmented and constrained to national territories," said Kozeschnik.
Listening to the survivors of trafficking themselves is not only crucial to combating the crime, but also to raising awareness on the issue, she noted.
"We need to consolidate the lessons of the 10 years since the inception of the protocol and create a new stepping-off point for the future," in order to "ensure that we learn from the past," said Kozeschnik.
Source: Xinhua
Interview: UN official sheds light on shadows of human trafficking - People's Daily Online
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