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Modern slavery
Modern slavery

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3.1 The victims and perpetrators of THB

Having learnt about some of the myths surrounding victims of THB, you'll now look at the statistics on THB from the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2012).

Activity 6 Who are the victims and perpetrators of THB?

Analyse the statistics below and answer the following questions.

Question 1

What gender are the majority of the victims? What proportion of the victims are male?

Described image
Figure 6 Gender and age profile of victims detected globally, 2009
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Figure 6 shows a pie chart that illustrates the gender and age of victims of trafficking in human beings globally. Women constitute 59 per cent of the overall number of victims, and girls account for 17 per cent. Men account for 14 per cent of victims, and boys constitute 10 per cent.

Figure 6 Gender and age profile of victims detected globally, 2009
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Comment

The vast majority (76 per cent) of victims of THB are female. Nearly a quarter of the victims (24 per cent) are male.

Question 2

Analyse the chart below. In which region of the world are the majority of victims children and in which region are they predominantly adult?

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Figure 7 Share of child victims detected by region, 2007–2010
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Figure 7 is a bar chart that shows a share of child victims of THB between 2007 and 2010, detected by region. In Africa and the Middle East, children constituted 68 per cent of the overall number of victims, whilst adults constituted 32 per cent. In South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, children constituted 39 per cent of the overall number of victims, whilst adults constituted 61 per cent. Globally, children constituted 27 per cent of the overall number of victims, whilst adults constituted 73 per cent. In the Americas, children constituted 27 per cent of the overall number of victims, whilst adults constituted 73 per cent. In Europe and Central Asia, children constituted 16 per cent of the overall number of victims, whilst adults constituted 84 per cent.

Figure 7 Share of child victims detected by region, 2007–2010
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Comment

Children amount to 68 per cent of the victims of trafficking in Africa and in the Middle East. In contrast, in Europe and Central Asia, children constitute only 16 per cent of the overall number of victims. The majority of victims in Europe and Central Asia are adults (84 per cent).

Question 3

Analyse the chart below. Who are the perpetrators of THB? Have you noticed anything surprising in the statistics on perpetrators?

Described image
Figure 8 Shares of persons convicted of trafficking in persons, by gender, regional/sub-regional averages, 2007–2010
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Figure 8 is a bar chart that shows a share of persons convicted for THB between 2007 and 2010. The findings are classified according to region and divided according to the gender of the perpetrator. In Africa and the Middle East, males constituted 79 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 21 per cent. In Western and Central Europe, males constituted 77 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 23 per cent. Globally, males constituted 67 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 33 per cent. In South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, males constituted 59 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 41 per cent. In the Americas, males constituted 58 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 42 per cent. In East Europe and Central Asia, males constituted 23 per cent of perpetrators, whilst females constituted 77 per cent.

Figure 8 Shares of persons convicted of trafficking in persons, by gender, regional/sub-regional averages, 2007–2010
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Comment

Apart from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the majority of convicted perpetrators are male. The proportion of male perpetrators in other geographic regions is between 58 per cent (Americas) and 79 per cent (Africa and the Middle East).

Interestingly, in Eastern Europe and in Central Asia, women amount to over three quarters (77 per cent) of the convicted perpetrators of THB. Qualitative studies suggest that women involved in human trafficking are normally found in low-ranking positions of the trafficking networks and carry out duties that are more exposed to the risk of detection and prosecution, than those of male traffickers.