Number of children trafficked tripled in 15 years globally

A total of 2,904 persons were arrested on trafficking in persons charges in Bangladesh between 2017 and 2018, says a new report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020, launched on Tuesday, says in the period, nine persons were convicted of trafficking in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh recorded 778 cases of trafficking in persons in 2017, and 561 cases in 2018, says the report's country profile on Bangladesh.

In 2017, Bangladesh Police recorded 155 children, 233 females, and 382 males as victims of trafficking. In 2018, it recorded 80 children, 210 females, and 212 males as victims, it says.

The report adds the current legislation on trafficking in persons in Bangladesh covers all forms of trafficking indicated in the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol.

Globally, the share of children among detected trafficking victims has tripled while the share of boys has increased five times in the past 15 years, UNODC said in a news release on Tuesday, citing the report.

Girls are mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation, while boys are used for forced labour, according to the report.

It says in 2018 about 50,000 human trafficking victims were detected and reported by 148 countries. However, given the hidden nature of this crime, the actual number of victims trafficked is far higher.

The report shows traffickers particularly target the most vulnerable, such as migrants and people without jobs.

"Millions of women, children and men worldwide are out of work, out of school and without social support in the continuing Covid-19 crisis, leaving them at greater risk of human trafficking. We need targeted action to stop criminal traffickers from taking advantage of the pandemic to exploit the vulnerable," said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly.

Female victims continue to be the primary targets for human trafficking. For every 10 victims detected globally in 2018, about five were adult women and two were young girls. Around 20 percent of human trafficking victims were adult men and 15 percent were young boys.

Overall, 50 percent of detected victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 38 percent were exploited for forced labour, six percent were subjected to forced criminal activity, while one percent were coerced into begging and smaller numbers into forced marriages, organ removal, and other purposes.

Globally, most persons -- around 62 percent -- prosecuted and convicted of human trafficking continue to be male.

Offenders can be members of organised crime groups, which traffic the great majority of victims, to individuals operating on their own or in small groups on an opportunistic basis.

The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons is produced by UNODC every two years, to inform an effective response to this crime and place it within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda.