Fighting human trafficking in an era of crisis – how can we do better?

Global crises, conflicts, socio-economic inequalities, migration and climate change are all contributing to a growth in the risk of human trafficking. At the same time the ability of both the international community and nation states to respond appears to be weakening. Detection rates fell by 11% in 2020 and convictions plummeted by 27%, reflecting a worldwide slowdown in the criminal justice response. The nature of trafficking is also evolving, making it hard for anti-trafficking responses to keep up.

For World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), we look at the current characteristics of human trafficking, and what can be done – and by whom – to counter the traffickers.