Human Trafficking: A Comparison of UNODC Reports

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Introduction

In-person human trafficking is an old trade that has existed since the precolonial era and civilization. The phenomenon has plagued world populations separating victims from their families for various reasons such as enslavement, sexual exploitation, cheap labor, and illegal organ donation. Globally, women and girls make up the majority of human trafficking victims for purposes of domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. Due to the persisting nature of the trade, various research articles and reports have been conducted to establish the causes, impacts, and trends of trafficking to mitigate the trade. Among the reports are the yearly United Nations Drug and Crime Reports (UNODC), which investigate different aspects of human, trafficking in efforts to prevent and curb the issue. The reports date back to the early 21st century, each exploring significant issues on the phenomenon using diverse research methodologies that can effectively address the issues. This essay compares the 2012 and 2020 UNODC reports on human trafficking to find out changes in the research methods and outcomes of the investigations regarding the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.

Changes in Research Methods

Research methods are crucial for any investigation as they determine the effectiveness of data collection and analysis in addressing the issue under investigation. The two reports present significant similarities and few differences in research methodologies and the context of conducting the research that has led to minimum changes in the papers. Researchers of both reports use mixed research methods, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and consulting existing literature on the phenomenon under investigation. Regions covered include significant countries in Europe, the Middle East, East, Central and South Asia, the Pacific, and North and South America. According to the researchers, the region represents 95% of the worlds population Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2020). Therefore, the results can be used to form conclusive evidence on the trade globally.

In both reports, quantitative data was collected by consulting statistical information on various judicial reports and other relevant data sources, such as national reports on trafficking in persons. The researchers consulted case files from numerous judicial cases to obtain information on the prevalence of the trade, vulnerable victims, the profile of the offenders, and trends and characteristics of in-person human trafficking. Qualitative evidence was collected by consulting five recently prosecuted court cases from participating countries. Unlike the 2014 report, the number of countries represented in the 2020 report is higher, representing 155 countries compared to 128 in 2012. Both investigations had been conducted for two years, between 2010 to 2012 in the 2012 UNODC report and 2016 to 2018 in the 2020 UNODC report.

A notable change in methodology is seen in the additional sources of information in the 2020 report. Apart from legislative and judicial statistics from the represented nations, the researchers utilized literature from various sources, including academic journals and reports from other organizations and national authorities regarding the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. Another change in data collection is the data generalization for the population under investigation. In the 2012 UNODC report, data regarding victims is generalized regardless of age and gender, making it difficult to obtain specific numbers for a victimization trend. Unlike the 2012 report, researchers for the 2020 report give specific details according to age and gender, providing better information on victims and forms of exploitation according to specific groups.

Changes in Trafficking Women and Girls

Trends in Trafficking Women and Girls

Despite the slight changes in methodology, such as additional literature review from other reports, journals, and academic articles in the 2020 report, insignificant changes are observed in the reports and findings. Women and girls remain the primary victims of in-person human trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation. In 2012, 52% of the victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation with women and girls being the most victims (Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2012). In the 2020 report, 77% of women and 72% of girls were trafficked for sexual exploitation (Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2020). The data shows a significant increase in the trafficking of women and girls for sexual purposes compared to the 2012 report. The substantial changes can be attributed to new data collection strategies such as consulting additional sources and recording data according to the age and gender of the victims. The generalization of data among both genders and ages does not give a clear pattern on specific details, such as the exact number of women trafficked in the period, which may lead to inconclusive information.

Profile of Offenders and Transnational Flows of Victims

In both reports, males dominate the trade, recording the highest number of convictions and interactions with the authorities regarding in-person human trafficking. However, the percentage of women involved in trafficking is higher in the 2020 report than in the 2012 report. Women are reportedly engaged in the domestic trafficking of persons from the initial stage due to the high growth and spread of human trafficking networks globally (Caudwell, 2018). The increase can be due to changing research methods, which enabled the researcher to obtain in-depth information from various sources showing the involvement of women, which is challenging to obtain from case files since they report lower numbers of convictions. Thus, the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation continues to rise, with women participating in coercing fellow women and girls.

The two reports have slight changes in the transnational flow of victims. In the 2012 report, the trade occurs across transnational borders within a close geographical region. Conversely, victims hailed from regions with low Gross Domestic Product (GDPS) to regions with higher GDPS. Contrary to the 2012 report, researchers of the 2020 report found that most in-person trafficking of women and girls is mainly domestic. The flow of trafficking has changed from transnational to regional and national trade, where victims are moved domestically from poor regions to urban areas. Cross-border human trafficking is observed in regions with close geographical areas where victims are not transported far from their origin. Caudwell (2018) attributes the changes to national development globally, raising the countrys GDP where citizens have the resources to exploit victims domestically sexually. Hence, trafficking women for sexual exploitation has become easier since the traders have less risk of cross-border attacks by the authorities and transportation costs.

Conclusion

Trafficking women for sexual exploitation is among the significant illegal trades globally. Changes in research methods, GDP, and the rise of trafficking networks have led to slight changes in the findings of the two reports. The trade is increasing despite national and regional anti-trafficking policies and global authorities against trafficking in persons. The trade is shifting from transnational to nations and regional trafficking, where victims originate from their countries of origin. Economic development in countries of origin significantly contributes to the changes in the flow of victims where citizens have adequate resources to exploit women and girls sexually. Consequently, the increase in the trade is attributed to more women participating in the initial stage of coercion, leading to the recruiting of many innocent girls and women. Due to the minimal changes, trafficking women for sexual exploitation continues to plague society, and researchers should consult diverse methodologies to identify the trends and target population, which can help mitigate the trade.

References

Caudwell, J. (2018). Sporting Events, the Trafficking of Women for Sexual Exploitation and Human Rights. In: Mansfield, L., Caudwell, J., Wheaton, B., Watson, B. (eds). The Palgrave handbook of feminism and sport, leisure and physical education, 537556. Palgrave Macmillan, London. Web.

United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes. (2012). Global report on trafficking in persons, 2012. United Nations publication. Web.

United Nations Office 0n Drug and Crimes. (2020). Global report on trafficking in persons, 2020. United Nations publication. Web.

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