It is estimated that most trafficking cases occur in Asia, particularly across the Greater Mekong region of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Human trafficking is considered the second largest source of illegal income, behind the illegal drug trade.
“The United States is the No. 1 consumer of sex worldwide.
Regionally, child trafficking is quite common in Africa, particularly West Africa, where nearly all human trafficking victims are children. Child trafficking is also very common in Asia's Mekong region, which includes Cambodia, parts of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Every year 300,000 children are taken from all around the world and sold by human traffickers as slaves. 28% of the 17,000 people brought to the United States are children—about 13 children per day.
In 2021, the government referred 150 cases of suspected trafficking crimes for possible investigation, compared with 233 cases the previous year, which had included cases of exit trafficking, organ trafficking, harboring, and forced marriage.
Australia works with other governments and organisations to prevent human trafficking, prosecute the perpetrators, and protect and support trafficked people. Australia's anti-human trafficking strategy was established in 2003.
Taiwan is ranked as one of the best countries in the latest U.S. Department's report for its efforts against human trafficking.
Many Human Trafficking Victims Are Brought in Through Force or Coercion. In some cases, traffickers use force or coercion to recruit their victims. It may be a threat of force or actual physical violence that makes someone comply with their demands.
Sexual exploitation and forced labour
The most common form of human trafficking detected by national authorities is trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Who is Vulnerable? Human trafficking can happen to anyone but some people are more vulnerable than others. Significant risk factors include recent migration or relocation, substance use, mental health concerns, involvement with the children welfare system and being a runaway or homeless youth.
Efforts to crack down on human trafficking in Russia focus not only on the men, women, and children who are illegally shipped out of Russia to undergo forced labor and sexual exploitation in other countries, but also those who are illegally brought into Russia from abroad.
Ranking system
These tiers are: Tier 1 countries whose governments fully comply with the TVPA's minimum standards. Tier 2 countries whose governments do not fully comply with all of TVPA's minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Using this technique, it is estimated that the number of human trafficking and slavery victims in Australia in 2015–16 and 2016–17 was between 1,300 and 1,900. This means there are approximately four undetected victims for every victim detected.
The research notes that cases of unreported labour trafficking exist in an environment of broader unlawful conduct perpetrated against migrant workers in Australia.
Penalties. The maximum penalty for an offence of trafficking in persons reckless as to exploitation is 12 years' imprisonment.
Prevalence. The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates that on any given day in 2021, there were 41,000 individuals living in modern slavery in Australia. This equates to a prevalence of 1.6 people in modern slavery for every thousand people in the country.
In the 2021-22 financial year, the AFP received 294 reports of modern slavery and human trafficking, an increase from 224 in the previous financial year.
Some indications that a person may be a victim of human trafficking include (especially in the case of women and children): Appearing malnourished. Showing signs of physical injuries and abuse. Avoiding eye contact, social interaction, and authority figures/law enforcement.
Trafficking is where children and young people tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their homes and are moved or transported and then exploited, forced to work or sold. Children are trafficked for: sexual exploitation. benefit fraud.
Children account for half of the victims of human trafficking. In fact, the average age that a young person becomes involved in sex trafficking is 12 years old.
It occurs in every corner of the world, and thanks to the internet, the issue is no longer contained by physical boundaries. Trafficking of women into the United States for sexual exploitation first came to the nation's attention between 1860 and World War I. Human trafficking is a lucrative illicit business.