Bangkok--6 Feb--UNISBKK
Women play a more active role as perpetrators of human trafficking than in any other form of crime — a phenomenon confirmed by the latest report on human trafficking from the United Nations.
The 2009 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) suggests that such trafficking still represents a challenge to human security, despite the fact that some countries have started to implement the foremost international agreement in this area and the number of convictions are increasing. The report offers a global perspective on the available information regarding the state of the world’s response to human trafficking, including near-comprehensive data on
national legislative and enforcement activity. Although criminal justice data alone cannot give a complete picture of the scale of human trafficking flows, this survey provides new information from — and about — source and destination countries.
In the East Asian and the Pacific region, the report points out that, while victims from the region have been found in more than 20 countries in other parts of the world, there is significant intra-regional and domestic trafficking. Women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation remain the primary victims. Trafficking in minors is still a significant issue; and trafficking in men and boys for forced labour is also detected. Although conviction rates have been on the rise in some countries, many countries still need to take significant steps to combat trafficking.
The regional launch of 2009 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons will be held on Friday 13 February 2009, at 11:00 a.m., at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT). The UNODC’s Regional Representative for East Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Gary Lewis, and other speakers will present the findings of the report.
Registrations to be sent by 11 February 2009 via fax (+66 2 281 2129) to UNODC Regional Centre for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
For further information, please contact:
Giovanni Broussard (tel. 02 288 2472, [email protected]), or
Ajarie Salilasiri (tel. 02 288 2083, [email protected])