What Fuels Human Trafficking?
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. But UNICEF works with partners year-round to raise awareness, provide support services and advocate for change. A look at what fuels human trafficking, and how UNICEF is helping to protect those most at risk.
Even today, children, women and men are still being forced to work in inhumane conditions, for long hours, for little to no pay
At its most basic form, human trafficking is the buying and selling of people.
Likened to modern-day slavery, it exists across continents and is facilitated through a variety of means, but ultimately, human trafficking is an industry, one that profits from the exploitation of people.
Slavery of the past was an accepted economic practice, but today, human trafficking is a criminal activity. Historically, slavery systematically exploited specific groups of people. Today, anyone — whatever their ethnicity, nationality, gender, age or economic status — can be a victim of human trafficking.
Human trafficking is now facilitated online and through social media. Traffickers use love and affection as control mechanisms, and those victimized might not even self-identify as victims.
Armed conflicts, public health crises and natural disasters are putting more children at risk than ever before. The number of forcibly displaced people the world over has more than doubled in the last decade to 122 million in 2024. Displaced, migrant and refugee children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking.
To better understand what human trafficking looks like, and the forces that drive and sustain it, here's a look at three major contributing factors:
Human trafficking is fueled by a high reward, low risk dynamic
Trafficking is one of the most profitable illegal industries, and traffickers can expect to make a lot of money with minimal fear of punishment or legal consequence. Unlike the drug trade, where the product is sold once in a single transaction, human beings can be sold again and again. Costs are low, profits high. The International Labor Organization estimates that annual profits from human trafficking and forced labor are $236 billion.
Traffickers know they can sell and exploit others and little will be done to stop them; lasting legal consequences for human traffickers are still minimal and rare. According to the U.S. State Dept.'s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, there were roughly 19,000 human trafficking prosecutions and just over 7,000 convictions globally in 2023 — shockingly low numbers for an industry that victimizes an estimated 27 million people annually.
Human trafficking is the only industry in which the supply and demand are the same thing: human beings
Human trafficking is also fueled by the economic principles of supply and demand, with high demand driving the high volume of supply.
Increasing demand from consumers for cheap goods incentivizes corporations to demand cheap labor, often forcing those at the bottom of the supply chain to exploit workers. Increased demand for commercial sex — especially with young girls and boys — incentivizes commercial sex venues including strip clubs, pornography and prostitution to recruit and exploit children.
If we never address basic human rights violations, we will never see the day when trafficking no longer exists
Systemic inequalities and disparities make certain groups much more vulnerable to exploitation.
Families living in desperate circumstances are more likely to accept risky job offers. When girls aren’t allowed to learn, parents are more likely to sell their daughters to men for marriage.
Ultimately, harmful social norms and systemic inequity fuel trafficking because traffickers target vulnerability. Traffickers look for people living in poverty; people who are desperate; people who lack legitimate job options or educational opportunities; people who are looking for a way to escape violence.
How UNICEF is taking action against child trafficking
Together with partners, UNICEF works to ensure that children are free from exploitation and abuse. Safeguarding children's rights means protecting them from trafficking and other threats, especially in times of crisis.
Here are just a few examples of countries where UNICEF is making a difference for children who are vulnerable to trafficking:
- In Ecuador, UNICEF supports multi-purpose centers to protect refugee and migrant children facing a heightened risk of trafficking. These centers offer safe spaces, facilitate the identification of trafficking victims and those at risk, and provide essential services such as psychological first aid, referral to shelters and health centers and legal aid.
- In Thailand, UNICEF has helped hundreds of thousands of stateless individuals, including children, gain legal identity documents, reducing their risk of exploitation. Without legal documentation, children are often excluded from education, health care and social services, increasing their vulnerability to trafficking.
- In conflict zones in DRC, Mali, and Nigeria, where armed groups operate, UNICEF runs community programs to raise awareness and reduce the risk of recruitment.
- In Venezuela, UNICEF worked with the National Prosecutor’s Office to develop and roll out criminal investigation guidelines for human trafficking cases.
- In Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine, UNICEF built capacities for national child helplines to meet the needs of children in distress, a crucial step in identifying trafficking victims and connecting them with support services.
- In Burundi, Cambodia and Eritrea, UNICEF and local partners provide education, vocational training and counseling to victims of child labor trafficking, helping them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society.
Three ways to take action against human trafficking
Want to take action? You can address the three factors that fuel trafficking by taking the following steps:
- Advocate for legislation that increases penalties for traffickers and enhances protections for victims.
- Learn how your buying habits contribute to the demand for exploitative labor by going to Slaveryfootprint.org — then make ethical purchases by shopping for Fair Trade products. Fair Trade certification ensures that no child or slave labor contributed to the making of a product.
- Support UNICEF’s humanitarian work for vulnerable children around the world.
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
