World in denial about trafficking, says UN

By Archie Bland

Friday, 13 February 2009

Many of the world's governments are in denial about the extent and seriousness of human trafficking in which women are often significant offenders, according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The study is the first comprehensive look at the world's trade in humans, drawing on evidence from 155 countries. It warns that the failure to prosecute modern-day slave traders means that efforts to fight the practice are severely hampered. And it draws the conclusion that in many countries most traffickers are female.

"It's sick that we should even need to write a report about slavery in the 21st century," said UNODC's executive director, Antonio Maria Costa. The report found many countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, failed to collect useful data on the problem.

Global conviction rates for human trafficking remain as low as 1.5 per 100,000 people. While a fifth of countries, many of them African, have no such offence on their books, the problems extend to many countries which have legislation in place: nearly 40 per cent of the countries examined have failed to record a single conviction.

"The problem is enforcement," said Tomoya Obokata, an expert in human trafficking, at Queens University Belfast. "Law enforcement officers just don't know the legislation, and they can't identify what trafficking is."

In eastern Europe and central Asia, women account for 60 per cent of the traffickers, many of them former slaves themselves, the report said.

The British Government has seen 79 of the 217 prosecutions brought against traffickers between 2004 and 2007 result in a conviction. "We are doing fine in the global context," said Dr Obokata. "But the conviction rate is low when you think of the number of victims."

The report's publication is part of a wider UN effort to turn the spotlight on the issue. Yesterday the actress Mira Sorvino was named a goodwill ambassador to combat the problem.