By Anadolu Agency
July 29, 2023 6:48 pmGENEVA
For the first time in 20 years, a global decrease in the number of human trafficking victims was seen during the recent pandemic due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to a report from UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
“Pandemic-related restrictions on movement and business operations may have at least temporarily reduced some forms of trafficking, including trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and cross-border trafficking,” said the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022.
It added that the 11% reduction in the number of victims was largely seen in low- and middle-income countries where justice, social, and health systems struggled to cope with the pandemic.
The top reduction was seen in East Asia and the Pacific with 59%, followed by North Africa and the Middle East (40%) and Central America and the Caribbean (36%).
Most victims of human trafficking were women, with 42%, according to the report, while 23% of were men and 35% children.
Victims rely on ‘self-rescue’
Most victims are self-rescued (41%), the report said, adding that they manage to escape and reach out to the authorities on their own initiative as anti-trafficking responses fall short.
Only 28% of the victims were rescued by law enforcement institutions, 11% by community or strangers, 10% with initial action by the victim’s family, 9% by other institutions or civil society, and 1% were rescued by other actions.
“This constitutes an alarming result considering many victims of trafficking may not identify themselves as victims,” the report underscored.
We use cookies on our website to give you a better experience, improve performance, and for analytics. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy By clicking “Accept” you agree to our use of cookies.
Read More