Title: Human trafficking - statistics and facts | Statista
Headings: Human trafficking - statistics and facts
Human trafficking - statistics and facts
Overview
Trafficking
Forced labor
Sexual exploitation
Law enforcement

Content: Although sexual exploitation remains the primary from, the prevalence of forced labor as the criminal’s motivation has grown in the last decade. This in part explains the rising share of males victims in human trafficking according to the United Nations. Their analysis suggests that the vast majority of male trafficking victims are trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, some 66 percent in 2016 . For women, traditional understandings of human trafficking remain the norm with 77.5 percent of female victims being trafficked for sexual exploitation. Whilst forced labor and exploitation of other forms are certainly an issue, the disturbing images of women falling victim to the global sex trade conveyed in films such as The Whistleblower remain as omnipresent as ever. In the United States this is reflected in the dominant share of female victims in calls to the national hotline in conjunction with a prevalence of calls related to sex trafficking over those related to forced labor. On the international level, South and Central Asia was the region with the second-most victims in 2019. Given that 18 percent of victims trafficked internationally were citizens of East Asia and the Pacific, South Asia, and Central Asia in 2014, much of the exploitation is occurring within the continent. As a result, calls are being made for further international focus on combating trafficking in the region rather than dealing with the victims when they are on Europe’s doorstep. However, perhaps lessons can be learned from the increasing presence of legal action on human traffickers in Asia.