WOMEN ACCOUNT for more than 60 per cent of convictions for people-trafficking in eastern Europe, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The global assessment of the scope of human trafficking and efforts to deal with it found that while the number of convictions was increasing, many governments were still “in denial” about the crime. As of last year, two out of every five countries covered by the report had not recorded a single conviction.
“Many criminal justice systems belittle the seriousness of this crime,” said the executive director of UNODC, Antonio Maria Costa. “Either these countries are blind to the problem, or they are ill-equipped to deal with it, or both.”
According to the study of 155 countries, the most common form of human trafficking (79 per cent) is sexual exploitation, victims being predominantly women and girls. In 30 per cent of the countries that provided information on the gender of traffickers, women made up the largest proportion of offenders, and in eastern Europe and Central Asia they accounted for more than 60 per cent of convictions.
“In these regions, women trafficking women is the norm,” said Mr Costa. “It is shocking that former victims become traffickers. We need to understand the psychological, financial, and coercive reasons why women recruit other women into slavery.”
The UN agency gave no figure for the number of people trafficked every year, but a US state department report last year put it at 800,000. Almost 20 per cent of all trafficking victims are estimated to be children, and in some places – including southeast Asia’s Mekong region and part of Africa – they are the majority.
Some 18 per cent of trafficking cases covered forced or bonded labour, forced marriages and organ removal, according to the UNODC.
The agency said 63 per cent of the countries covered by the report had enacted anti-trafficking laws since a special UN protocol against the crime took effect five years ago. While the number of convictions was rising, however, most occurred in only a few states and many others – particularly in Africa – lacked legislation or the will to crack down on trafficking.
The report included country-by-country snapshots, but singled out none for criticism. Last year’s US report identified Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Moldova, Burma, North Korea, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria as the worst offenders in trafficking.
“We fear the problem is getting worse but we cannot prove it for lack of data, and many governments are obstructing,” Mr Costa added.