What is Human Trafficking? It is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery and organ harvesting.
How are persons trafficked: By threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim
Why are persons trafficked: For the purpose of exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices and the removal of organs.
Alarming Facts About Human Trafficking:
- There are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history.
- 2 children are trafficked every 60 seconds into forced labour, prostitution, and/or organ harvesting – UN
- 1.2 million children are trafficked annually.
- In the U.S. over 100,000 children are forcefully engaged in prostitution or pornography each year.
- 300,000 children younger than 18 years of age, are trafficked to serve in armed conflicts.
- 27 million adults and 13 million children around the world who are victims of human trafficking.
- Human trafficking is worth $32 billion p.a. to criminals, only 0.5% of that figure is spent to combat it.
- Traffickers use violence to condition their victims: starvation, beatings, forced drug use, threats and rape.
- Unlike drugs, humans can be sold repeatedly.
- Mainly men who are driving human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
- Many victims are not just runaways or abandoned, but from good families who got tricked.
- Victims face physical issues: stds, suicidal tendencies, forced abortions, insomnia, ptss.
“Each time we act to improve the life of another person, we send forth a ripple of hope in what appears to be a hopeless society.” ~Joyce Meyer
