Vienna (Austria), 27 April 2023 - Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are global and widespread crimes that use men, women, and children for profit. The organized networks behind these lucrative crimes take advantage of people who are vulnerable, in economic need, desperate or simply seeking a better life.
The Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has published its 2022 Annual Report, which highlights its main achievements over the past year in the fight against these crimes.
“The proliferation of conflict and instability around the world in 2022 has shattered communities and economies, with serious humanitarian consequences and new opportunities for organized crime,” says Ilias Chatzis, Head of the Section.
“Despite this, we continued supporting countries to address and prevent human trafficking and migrant smuggling, we launched into new areas of work and developed studies that shed light on many hidden aspects of these crimes,” he adds.
Throughout 2022, a year of humanitarian crisis, 4992 officials from around the world who work to prevent, investigate, and prosecute these crimes were trained and mentored by the Section’s crime prevention and criminal justice experts.
The new Annual Report documents the impact of these activities and the support provided for the development and revision of legislation and policies to counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
“Amidst a difficult operating environment, we continued to serve the United Nations and other international processes, promoting multilateralism and using our convening power to build consensus on the measures necessary to deprive criminals of the opportunity to prosper,” Chatzis adds.
