The United Nations Says Trafficking In Persons Is Increasing Sharply: Highlights Online-Indonesian Cyber Fraud To Sexual Exploitation

Illustration of smuggling people. (Wikimedia Commons/US Customs and Border Protection)

JAKARTA - A United Nations report published on Wednesday said human trafficking had increased sharply after declining due to the pandemic, due to conflicts, disasters caused by climate and global crises.

In 2022, data was widely available in the last year, the number of victims known worldwide increased to 25 percent above the pre-pandemic rate in 2019, according to a Global Report on Human Trafficking from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime.

The sharp decline in 2020 largely disappeared the following year.

"Criminals are increasingly trafficking people for forced labor, including forcing them to run advanced online fraud and cyber fraud. Meanwhile, women and girls face the risk of sexual exploitation and gender-based violence," the report said, adding organized crime was the most responsible. , quoted from Reuters December 11.

The report further states that children account for 38 percent of the detected victims, compared to 35 percent for the 2020 figure, which was the basis for the previous report.

Recent reports also show that adult women remain the largest victim group, representing 39 percent of cases, followed by 23 percent of boys, 22 percent of girls and 16 percent of boys.

The report states that the total number of victims in 2022 will reach 69,627 people.

The most common reason so far for women and girls who are trafficked is sexual exploitation of 60 percent or more, followed by forced labor. For men, it is forced labor and for boys, it is forced labor and "other purpose" in almost the same amount. Other goals include forced crime and forced beggars.

The report also said the increasing number of boys identified as victims of human trafficking could be linked to the increasing number of minors without companions arriving in Europe and North America.

Meanwhile, based on the victim's origin area, the sub-Saharan African region is the largest contributor with 26 percent, although there are many different human trafficking routes.

While better detection could be the cause of the increasing number, the report says it's most likely a combination of that and more human trafficking in general.

The largest increase in detected cases occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and the 'West and southern Europe' regions, according to the report, with the entry of migration being a significant factor in the last two regions.