Emerging Crimes

Trafficking in Human Beings

Trafficking in human beings is an appalling phenomenon that is growing at alarming rates throughout the world. The exact numbers of this modern-day slave trade are difficult to quantify, therefore complicating the efforts of setting up effective counter strategies. The United Nations estimates that there are 2.7 million victims of trafficking around the world; of these, 80% are women and children. According to some estimates, about 10% of the migrant women working the streets of prostitution are actually victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation purposes. This phenomenon, which is managed by transnational criminal networks, generates a massive turnover of about 32 billion dollars a year, a number similar to the revenues accrued from trafficking of weapons or narcotics.
The research carried out by UNICRI in the framework of a project to counter human trafficking from Nigeria to Italy highlights the facts that, in the lower bracket of the sex market, a Nigerian woman in the hands of the trafficking network can make them as much as 5,000 Euros a month. Moreover, to free herself from the debt contracted with her exploiters, the girl has to pay an average of 50-60,000 Euros.

Trafficking victims are stripped of their most basic human rights, those of self-determination and in some cases life itself.
Trafficking in minors for sexual purposes is a hidden phenomenon, often covered by the wall of silence raised by the exploiters and the children abusers. Figures are difficult to ascertain but according to the interviews and research conducted in Costa Rica, Thailand and Ukraine within the framework of a UNICRI's programme the phenomenon has seriously expanded and involves a wide range of actors.
In Costa Rica the reports on the commercialization of sexual tourism, disseminated through Internet, attract a lot of tourists. In this Country the tourists who seek sexual contact with minors come mainly from USA, Italy, Canada and Germany. The age range of these foreign adults is broad: varying from 20 to 60 years.
In Thailand along with the traditional ways to approach children, Internet is becoming a threat: children are now exposed to sexual harms on cyberspace. The Country is sadly recognized as a popular venue for production and distribution of child pornographic materials as well as Ukraine.
In 2004 Ukrainian police disclosed a pornographic studio disguised as a child model agency. Pornographic pictures and movies of more than 500 girls aged between 8 and 16 were found. The criminals used to trick the girls' parents by saying that their children were simply working in the modelling business. Criminals paid between USD 10 and 40 per hours. The agency's monthly average profit amounted to USD 100,000.
Ukraine is a country of origin and destination for the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. An alarming 7000 to 8000 cases of sexual abuse and exploitation are officially reported annually.
Research has shown that more than 30% of the prostitutes in Ukraine are aged 11 to 18 years old. One in 10 girls was victim of rape before the age of 18. Surveys show that of those engaged in prostitution, 11% are girls between 12 and 15 and 20% are aged 16 to 17.
Street children are offered USD 5 per sex service. In 2001, according to the Interior Affairs Ministry 36.000 children were detained as street children. The number of street children has grown continuously each year.

UNICRI approach to counter human trafficking

It has been widely acknowledged that the main root-causes of trafficking in human beings are poverty, illiteracy and lack of economic perspectives. Even though the main root causes of the trafficking in human beings problem can only be eliminated through a long-term strategy in the field of economic and human development at the national level, a focused small-scale intervention targeting priority areas and integrating institutional capacity building, social prevention and victim rehabilitation components can still result in a significant reduction in its magnitude.
Nevertheless, while significant advances on the economic and social fronts must be achieved, decisive action is to be simultaneously taken to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings, especially in women and children, from the legislative, law enforcement and criminal justice sides.
Over the past decade, UNICRI has been strongly involved in the implementation of various applied-research and technical assistance projects in the field of counter-trafficking in persons and children exploitation in various areas of the world. The activities have been carried out in Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Poland, Thailand, the Philipines, and Ukraine. In addition, UNICRI has been working on the issue of trafficking in persons in peace support operation areas since 2002.
UNICRI programmes seek, in the one hand, to strengthen the institutional capacity to curb trafficking flows and, on the other hand, to rehabilitate trafficked victims and decrease the vulnerability of potential trafficking victims, especially women and children.
Activities are carried out in close cooperation with governments as well as with international organizations and civil society members involved in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, especially in women, and children. The proactive participation of local communities is sought and encouraged by UNICRI.