The report -- UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons -- was launched in the capital on Friday. [break]
Speaking at the function, Ashita Mittal of the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) said the highest percentage (79%) of those that are trafficked are forced into sexual exploitation while the second most common form of trafficking is for the purpose of forced labor (18%). The study also states that 20% of all trafficking victims are children.
Deepika Naruka, Research Officer at UNODC ROSA said that the number of convictions for human traffickers was very low compared to the number of crimes committed. In most countries the conviction rates is about 1.5 per 100,000 people.
“In South Asia, large-scale trafficking occurs across the borders,” said Naruka, speaking at the function.
“Ten to fifteen thousand women are trafficked from Nepal to India yearly, among which eight to ten thousand end up in brothels,” said Robert Piper, UN resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nepal.
He also expressed surprise at the fact that most of the traffickers were women contrary to his assumption that they would be men.
The study, which began in March 2007, gathered data from 155 countries around the world and is the first global report on human trafficking and what is being done to fight it. The report includes an overview of trafficking patterns, legal steps taken in response and country-specific information on reported cases of trafficking.
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