Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are global and widespread crimes that use men, women and children for profit. The organized networks or individuals behind these lucrative crimes take advantage of people who are vulnerable, desperate or simply seeking a better life. However, their criminal operations are always evolving.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) strives for the eradication of these crimes through the dismantling of the criminal enterprises that trade in people and the conviction of the main perpetrators. Its work safeguards people from the abuse, neglect, exploitation or even death that is associated with these crimes.
The working groups bring together countries who have signed up to the leading key global treaties on human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Representatives of United Nations (UN) Member States and international organizations meet every year to discuss how to better respond to both human trafficking and migrant smuggling. They provide a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences and formulating recommendations on how to better implement the global Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants.
The working groups are important bodies created by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) to support its work.
Each year, the Working Groups discuss distinct topics. The topics for the 2024 meetings are trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal; child trafficking; preventing and combatting the smuggling of migrants through international cooperation; and protection and assistance measures for smuggled migrants.
The Constructive Dialogues are fora, held immediately after the Working Group meetings, for non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector to interact with country representatives regarding their responses to human trafficking and migrant smuggling on a global scale.
The Working Groups are a place where experts meet and exchange on their experiences and access expertise. They provide an important platform for countries to agree on how to practically improve action on human trafficking and migrant smuggling. They are the only internationally recognized mechanism that meets annually to discuss the implementation of the two global protocols dedicated to these crimes.
UNODC provides technical assistance, guidelines, tools, training materials and coordination to Member States to strengthen their efforts to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
UNODC also regularly publishes reports to assist policymakers to understand the dynamics and trends behind these crimes.
