books
A crime so monstrous
E. BENJAMIN SKINNER"“There are more slaves today than at any point in human history,” Skinner writes in this devastating book. By slaves he means people coerced by violence to work for no pay. Some prostitutes fall into this category, but a majority of slaves, he says, are domestic servants or forced laborers. Skinner reports from centers of the modern slave trade, including Haiti, Sudan, Romania, Turkey, India, the Netherlands — and Miami."
-- The New York Times |
About the authorBen Skinner is Founder & Principal of Transparentem, a non-profit intelligence unit. Previously, as a journalist, he reported on diverse topics from five continents for Time, Newsweek International, Travel + Leisure, and others. His first book, A Crime So Monstrous, was awarded the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction, as well as a citation from the Overseas Press Club in its book category for 2008. He was named an Adventurer of the Year 2008 by National Geographic Adventure.
|
websites
KEY facts:
- The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
- 81% of them are trapped in forced labor.
- 25% of them are children.
- 75% are women and girls.
- The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
- In 2017, an estimated 1 out of 7 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
- Of those, 88% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.
- There is no official estimate of the total number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. Polaris estimates that the total number of victims nationally reaches into the hundreds of thousands when estimates of both adults and minors and sex trafficking and labor trafficking are aggregated.
- The most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation.
- The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls.
- Surprisingly, in 30% of the countries which provided information on the gender of traffickers, women make up the largest proportion of traffickers. In some parts of the world, women trafficking women is the norm.
- The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls.
- The second most common form of human trafficking is forced labour (18%), although this may be a misrepresentation because forced labour is less frequently detected and reported than trafficking for sexual exploitation.
- Worldwide, almost 20% of all trafficking victims are children.
- However, in some parts of Africa and the Mekong region, children are the majority (up to 100% in parts of West Africa).
- However, in some parts of Africa and the Mekong region, children are the majority (up to 100% in parts of West Africa).
- Although trafficking seems to imply people moving across continents, most exploitation takes place close to home.
- Data show intra-regional and domestic trafficking are the major forms of trafficking in persons.
Sources: Polaris Project & UNODC
full reports
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Based on data gathered from 155 countries, it offers the first global assessment of the scope of human trafficking and what is being done to fight it. It includes: an overview of trafficking patterns; legal steps taken in response; and country-specific information on reported cases of trafficking in persons, victims, and prosecutions.
Based on data gathered from 155 countries, it offers the first global assessment of the scope of human trafficking and what is being done to fight it. It includes: an overview of trafficking patterns; legal steps taken in response; and country-specific information on reported cases of trafficking in persons, victims, and prosecutions.
2020 Trafficking in Persons Report by the US Department of State
"For 20 years, the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) has demonstrated the United States’ conviction that human trafficking is a global threat necessitating a global response. Traffickers are denying nearly 25 million people their fundamental right to freedom, forcing them to live enslaved and toil for their exploiter’s profit. This report arms governments with the data they need to increase the prosecution of traffickers, provide victim-centered and trauma-informed protection for victims of trafficking, and prevent this crime altogether." - Michael R. Pompeo, The Secretary of State
"For 20 years, the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) has demonstrated the United States’ conviction that human trafficking is a global threat necessitating a global response. Traffickers are denying nearly 25 million people their fundamental right to freedom, forcing them to live enslaved and toil for their exploiter’s profit. This report arms governments with the data they need to increase the prosecution of traffickers, provide victim-centered and trauma-informed protection for victims of trafficking, and prevent this crime altogether." - Michael R. Pompeo, The Secretary of State