What is human trafficking?

Victims are forced to work for little or no pay; they are forced to engage in exploitative sex work or are married against their will. Essentially, victims of

human trafficking lose their individual freedom and while countries and regions have specific vulnerabilities, the impact is global and every country across the world is affected.

Human trafficking has been found across all sectors, from the food we eat to the goods we buy. Although there is no definition in law, modern slavery is used as an umbrella term to cover a multitude of legal concepts from forced labour, debt bondage.

Human trafficking covers a set of specific legal concepts including slavery, forced labour, forced marriage, debt bondage and human trafficking.

Human trafficking ultimately refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

The drivers of human trafficking are many: poverty, war, political instability, climate change, mass migration increase the vulnerability of many people to exploitation by organised criminal gangs.

For the legal definition of human trafficking see Palermo Protocol.