New York: In observance of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has highlighted the urgent need for global efforts to combat the trafficking of children, who now represent a significant portion of trafficking victims worldwide.
According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the incidence of child victims has tripled over the past 15 years, with children accounting for more than a third of detected global trafficking cases. In some regions, children are the majority of those trafficked. The UNODC report details the multiple factors exacerbating this issue, including poverty, conflict, climate change, and insufficient parental support, which leave children vulnerable to trafficking. The report also details the severe conditions trafficked children endure, including forced labor in various industries, begging, crime, and sexual exploitation. Digital technologies further complicate the landscape, enabling traffickers to exploit children through the generation of illicit content.
The Executive Director of UNODC, emphasizing the importance of protecting children, called for intensified efforts across all sectors—including governments, the private sector, technology firms, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and social services—to implement robust measures to prevent child trafficking and ensure justice for perpetrators. The plea aligns with the previous calls for action by the International Coordination Action Taskforce (ICAT) to end this grave human rights violation.