Tackling demand key to combating global human trafficking, UN rights expert stresses

31 May 2013 – The global scourge of human trafficking is being fueled by demand for sexual exploitation, cheap labour, human organs, illegal adoption and forced marriages, says a new report by an independent United Nations human rights expert.

 

“Measures taken by States to discourage demand have often focused exclusively on demand for commercial sexual exploitation, particularly of women and girls, and neglected other forms of demand, such as demand for exploitative labour and sale of organs,” Ms. Ngozi Ezeilo noted.

The UN has a Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (…) In her report, Ms. Ngozi Ezeilo urges Governments worldwide to broaden their perception of the problem (…) “States have a responsibility to protect against human rights abuses, including trafficking in persons and exploitation of persons by third parties, including business enterprises and criminal associations, through appropriate policies, regulation and adjudication,” she said.

“Businesses must be seen as an important partner in the fight against trafficking in persons,” she underscored, adding that in a majority of trafficking cases that have been brought to her attention, private actors are often implicated – particularly in the context of labour exploitation.

 

Source: United Nations News Center

 

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