WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — 27 million people fell victim to human trafficking worldwide last year, according to a stunning estimate from this year’s annual State Department Human Trafficking Report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the problem requires a global effort to fight back.
“United States is committed to combating human trafficking because it represents an attack on human rights and freedoms,” Blinken said. “Violates the universal right of every person to have autonomy over their own life and actions. Today, more than 27 million people around the world are denied that right.”
Of those 27 million the department estimates are human trafficked, only 115,000 have been identified:
- Africa: 21,790
- East Asia: 4,635
- Europe: 24,528
- Middle East/North Africa: 2,980
- Central/South Asia: 49,715
- Western Hemisphere: 11,676
The annual report is mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The data includes 188 countries and territories, including the U.S.
The nearly hundred-page report highlights that human trafficking persists in nearly every populated part of the world and that there are 11 governments who, the State Department says, are facilitating trafficking in one way or another.
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- China
- Cuba
- Eritrea
- Iran
- North Korea
- Russia
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Turkmenistan
Blinken emphasized there are two forms of human trafficking: Sexual exploitation and forced labor. The bulk of the report focuses on recommendations for how to address those forms and how to prevent trafficking.
Blinken insists there is a need to challenge stereotypes around human trafficking — the biggest one is that only young girls are the victims of human trafficking.
He said that’s not true. There has been a significant fivefold increase in the trafficking of young boys and men in recent years, which often goes unnoticed. The report finds nearly 30% of trafficking victims are boys or young men.
“The reality is that any person regardless of sex, regardless of gender identity can be targeted by human traffickers,” Blinken said.
According to Blinken, effective measures to combat human trafficking often rely on collaboration, which entails cooperation between different countries, but also involves officials and advocates at national levels working with state and local levels.
He emphasized that approach holds the key to making significant progress in tackling this issue.
“We simply need all hands-on deck. We need law enforcement, working to prosecute traffickers, we need social workers providing trauma-informed care to the victims,” Blinken said. “We need advocates holding governments accountable. We need communities coming together to support the survivors.”
There is some progress being made, but not nearly enough. According to Cindy Dyer, a State Department ambassador who handles human trafficking issues, the department is incorporating recommendations of survivors into policymaking and partnering with neighboring countries to reduce the risk of migrants falling prey to traffickers.
More than 15,000 traffickers have been prosecuted worldwide. It’s a start, but just a drop in the bucket.