Women and girls continue to make up the majority of victims of human trafficking worldwide, with sexual exploitation remaining the most common form of abuse, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July.
The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 shows that detected trafficking cases rose by 25% between 2019 and 2022, with the sharpest increases recorded in sub-Saharan Africa, North America and Western Europe. The UN says armed conflicts, climate-related disasters and forced displacement have left millions more vulnerable to exploitation.
Between 2020 and 2023, authorities identified 202,478 trafficking victims worldwide. Children accounted for 38% of all victims, including 22% girls and 16% boys, while 39% were adult women and 23% were adult men.
The report found that women and girls were overwhelmingly targeted for sexual exploitation, making up 64% and 28% of victims in that category, respectively. Men and boys each accounted for just 3%.
Overall, forced labour remained the most widespread form of human trafficking, affecting 42% of all identified victims. Adult men represented 47% of those cases, followed by adult women (23%), boys (20%) and girls (10%).
The report also found that people from 162 countries were trafficked into 128 destination countries in 2022, with African nationals accounting for nearly one-third of identified victims.
UNODC said organised criminal networks continue to drive the global trafficking trade. An analysis of 942 court cases involving 3,121 offenders found that 74% of traffickers were operating as part of organised criminal groups, while 26% acted alone.
According to the report, 70% of convicted traffickers were men, while 28% were women, highlighting the continued role of organised crime in one of the world’s most widespread human rights abuses.