NCJ Number
217899
Date Published
March 2006
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report provides data and information on the work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in helping countries throughout the world counter trafficking in persons.
Abstract
According to 2004 U.S. Government data on transnational trafficking in persons, of the estimated 600,000-800,000 men, women, and children trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls; up to 50 percent are minors. The majority of these women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking is now recognized as an abuse of human rights on a global scale. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations are involved in efforts to counter it. For the past 5 years, the U.S. Government has led an international effort to combat human trafficking. There are still significant trafficking problems within individual countries that have corruption, weak rule of law, poverty, conflict, natural disasters, and lack of the political will to address the problem. USAID continues to work on these conditions as they affect trafficking directly, while ensuring that antitrafficking efforts are strengthened through other USAID-funded programs. The illicit, hidden, and changing nature of human trafficking makes it difficult to know its prevalence both within countries and across national borders. The U.S. Government is focusing on better collection of information and data. USAID is encouraging the development of regional networks and better information sharing and communication between organizations that are working against trafficking. In the future, USAID will place greater emphasis on innovative ways to measure the impact of antitrafficking efforts. This report presents data and information on USAID antitrafficking funding and activities in individual countries of Africa, Asia and the Near East, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. 2 figures