GLOBAL REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 2020 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 UNITED NATIONS New York, 2020 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. Suggested citation: UNODC, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.20.IV.3). Comments on the report are welcome and can be sent to: Crime Research Section Research and Trend Analysis Branch Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: (+43) 1 26060 0 Fax: (+43) 1 26060 75223 The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNODC, Member States or contributory organizations, and nor does it imply any endorsement. This document has not been formally edited. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © United Nations, January 2021. All rights reserved, worldwide. Title: Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 Language: English Sales no.: E.20.IV.3 ISBN: 978-92-1-130411-4 eISBN: 978-92-1-005195-8 print ISSN: 2411-8435 online ISSN: 2411-8443 PREFACE This is the fifth global report by the United Nations much higher shares of detected child victims. Globally, Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), mandated by one in every three victims detected is a child, but in low the General Assembly through the 2010 Global Plan of income countries, children account for half of the vic- Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. tims detected, most of them trafficked for forced labour. The report comes at a time when global suffering has vast- By bringing visibility to this crime, and shedding light ly increased vulnerabilities to trafficking. Extreme pover- on trafficking patterns and flows, this report can assist ty is expected to rise for the first time in decades, with the governments, parliaments and stakeholders in develop- continuing COVID-19 crisis casting a long shadow over ing solutions capable of addressing root causes and risk our societies and economies. With many millions more factors, prosecuting offenders, protecting the vulnerable women, men and children in every part of the world out and better supporting victims. of school, out of work, without social support and facing diminished prospects, targeted action is urgently needed UNODC has been systematically collecting and analys- to stop crimes like trafficking in persons from adding to ing data on trafficking in persons for more than a decade. the pandemic’s toll. During this time, an increasing number of countries have criminalized trafficking in line with the Trafficking in In order to act, we need to understand better the factors Persons Protocol under the United Nations Convention that facilitate human trafficking. It is in this spirit that Against Transnational Organized Crime. I present to you the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020. More traffickers are being brought to justice every year - globally, the number of people convicted per 100,000 The report draws on data from 148 countries and ex- population has nearly tripled since 2003, when the plores issues of particular relevance in the current crisis, protocol entered into force. Having anti-trafficking including the impact of socio-economic factors, drivers legislation in place and investing in national capacities of child trafficking and trafficking for forced labour, and and international cooperation strengthens responses. traffickers’ use of the internet. We cannot allow the pandemic recession to reverse this Although found in every country and every region, traf- progress or put more women, men and children in dan- ficking in persons remains a hidden crime, with perpe- ger of being trafficked. trators operating in the dark corners of the internet and the underbelly of the global economy to entrap victims Even as the crisis puts resources under pressure, law en- for sexual exploitation, forced labour, domestic servitude forcement and social protection responses must address and other forms of exploitation. trafficking risks. Countering trafficking effectively also requires tackling related forms of transnational organized For every 10 victims detected globally, five are adult wom- crime, as well as cybercrime and corruption. en and two are girls. Migrants account for a significant share of the detected victims in most regions. Traffickers As the Trafficking in Persons Protocol highlights, to pre- prey upon the marginalized and impoverished. Cases ex- vent trafficking governments need to address poverty, amined by UNODC found that at least half involved underdevelopment and a lack of equal opportunity, and victims who were targeted because of economic need. raise awareness. That means investing in people - in ed- ucation and jobs, as part of systemic solutions pursued Children living in extremely poor households are espe- in solidarity, with support to developing countries most cially vulnerable, and countries in West Africa, South of all. An inclusive recovery must create opportunities Asia and Central America and the Caribbean report and give hope to young people and the disadvantaged, 4 and tackle the structural inequalities that leave women and healthcare workers leads to greater detection and en- as well as children and marginalized groups vulnerable to hanced support. Educating the public raises awareness human trafficking. and fosters a sense of responsibility - as bystanders, con- sumers and concerned citizens, we all have a part to play Systemic solutions also rely on broad, cross-border part- in preventing and countering human trafficking. nerships between governments, with the support of inter- national and regional organizations. Civil society and pri- With this in mind, I urge governments and all partners to vate sector cooperation are also crucial - businesses and make use of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons tech companies represent essential partners in addressing 2020 - and of the integrated technical assistance UNODC supply chain integrity to stop trafficking for forced la- provided to 83 countries last year alone through its pro- bour and other forms of exploitation, and in countering grammes and field network - to include protection and recruitment and exploitation via the internet. trafficking prevention as part of pandemic response and recovery efforts, and leave no one behind. We also need more sharing of information and intel- ligence, and more research. Over the past decade, we have seen the number of child victims go up. Victims trafficked domestically, without crossing international borders, are being increasingly detected. Trafficking pat- terns and flows change and shift - possibly now more than ever in a world upended by the pandemic. But the Ghada Waly picture is also changing because we understand more, Executive Director and see more. Better training of service providers, police United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 5 Acknowledgements The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 was prepared by the UNODC Crime Research Section under the supervision of Jean-Luc Lemahieu, Director of the Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs and Angela Me, Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch. Core team Kristiina Kangaspunta, Fabrizio Sarrica, Giulia Serio, Kelly Whelan, Jesper Samson and Candence Wills. Graphic design, layout and mapping Suzanne Kunnen, Maria Moser and Lorenz Perszyk. The Crime Research Section wishes to thank the Section’s past interns, Meabh Branagan, Martina Cataldo and Emmanuelle Klassen who made a solid contribution to this edition of the Global Report. Review and comments The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 benefited from the expertise and invaluable contributions of the UNODC Crime Research Section colleague Claire Healy, the UNODC colleagues in the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, the Justice Section, the Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering Section and from the many colleagues at various UNODC Field Offices. We are also grateful to the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section for providing the text box “Female victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation as defendants: a case law analysis”. Cover drawing and artwork © Yasser Rezahi; photo of artwork Lea Sophia Mair. CONTENTS PREFACE 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 POLICY CONSIDERATIONS 18 INTRODUCTION 23 CHAPTER I – Global Overview 29 CHAPTER II – Socio-economic factors and risks of Covid-19 recession 67 CHAPTER III – Children; Easy to target 79 CHAPTER IV – Trafficking for forced labour; the economy of coercion 93 CHAPTER V – Traffickers use of the Internet; digital hunting fields 117 CHAPTER VI – Regional Overviews 131 WESTERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE 133 CENTRAL AND SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE 139 EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA 144 SOUTH ASIA 148 EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC 151 NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 155 SOUTH AMERICA 161 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA 165 NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST 170 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Victims are targeted when they are pandemic is likely to