Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour , sexual slavery , or commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. It is distinct from people smuggling , which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled.
Human trafficking is condemned as a violation of human rights by international conventions, but legal protection varies globally. The practice has millions of victims around the world. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation , forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal, manipulation or implantation of organs ;.
According to scholar Kevin Bales, author of Disposable People , estimates that as many as 27 million people are in "modern-day slavery" across the globe. Department of State estimates that 2 million children are exploited by the global commercial sex trade. Approximately 1. Of these, Human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world, behind drug dealing and arms trafficking , and is the fastest-growing activity of transnational criminal organizations.
The Global Report recorded victims of different nationalities detected in countries between and , during which period, different flows were identified. Trafficking victims from East Asia have been detected in more than 64 countries, making them the most geographically dispersed group around the world.
There are significant regional differences in the detected forms of exploitation. Countries in Africa and in Asia generally intercept more cases of trafficking for forced labour, while sexual exploitation is somewhat more frequently found in Europe and in the Americas.
