The Big Five

February 19, 2009 posted by Kyla Bender-Baird

According to the U.S. State Department, 800,000 people were trafficked across national borders in 2006. This figure escalates into the millions when including victims trafficked within national borders.   A recently released report by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime delves deeper into this troubling phenomenon:

Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (data from 155 countries)

–Most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation (79%) followed by forced labor (18%)

–2/3 of victims were women; 13% of victims were girls

–First report to document that women are disproportionately involved in trafficking not only as victims but also as perpetrators