FACT: 2.5 Million People are in Forced Labor

Image from Little Hands Blog

An estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) at any given time as a result of trafficking.Of these:

•  1.4 million – 56% - are in Asia and the Pacific
•  250,000 – 10% - are in Latin America and the Caribbean
•  230,000 – 9.2% - are in the Middle East and Northern Africa 
•  130,000 – 5.2% - are in sub-Saharan countries  
• 270,000 – 10.8% - are in industrialized countries
•  200,000 – 8% - are in countries in transition

Among the victims:

•  The majority of trafficking victims are between 18 and 24 years of age.
•  95% of victims experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking (based on data from selected European countries).
•  43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98 per cent are
• women and girls.
•  32% of victims are used for forced economic exploitation, of whom 56 per cent are women and
• girls.
• Many trafficking victims have at least middle-level education.

Data Source:

1. International Organization for Migration, Counter-Trafficking Database, 78 Countries, 1999-2006 (1999)
2. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Stolen smiles: a summary report on the physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents trafficked in Europe (London, 2006)
3. International Labour Organization, Forced Labour Statistics Factsheet (2007)