Washington, DC, 1 February 2023 每 The seventh edition of the 51勛圖 Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was launched in Washington, DC, today, marking the end of the United States＊ National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The event was hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and facilitated by the 51勛圖 Information Center in Washington.
Global trafficking remains a critical threat despite efforts to combat it. At the event, experts from UNODC and the US Department of State shared insights into the current situation and actions required to combat this scourge. The US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Cindy Dyer, stated in her opening remarks that UNODC was an invaluable partner and that the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 was an essential resource for all.
Erol Yayboke, Director of the CSIS Project on Fragility and Mobility, chaired a that included: Ilias Chatzis, Chief of UNODC＊s Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section; Angela Me, Chief of UNODC＊s Research Branch; and Desir谷e Suo Weymont, Senior Coordinator for Reports and Political Affairs in the US State Department＊s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The panel delved into the findings of the report, which covers 141 countries and provides an overview of patterns and flows of trafficking in persons at global, regional and national levels, based on trafficking cases detected between 2017 and 2022. According to the report, the total number of victims identified globally decreased by 11 per cent, from 5,000 identified victims to 4,700. The panel also discussed the reduction in the identification of traffickers, especially during the pandemic, which indicated increased impunity. They mentioned that trafficking had changed over the years; previously, it had targeted women and girls, but today the findings showed an increase of men and boys in sexual exploitation and forced labor. The report also revealed that most trafficking victims saved themselves by self-identifying and finding assistance instead of being identified by external actors.
In addition to the more than 50 in-person attendees, the report launch was watched by 830 live viewers via the CSIS website, and has thus far gotten 4,335 views on Twitter Live and over 2,100 views on YouTube.