The illegal movement of people,
typically for the purposes of forced
labor or commercial sexual exploitation
Why are people trafficked?
By offering potential victims false promises, traffickers
paint a rosy picture of a better life, such as a good job,
educational opportunity or marriage. If they agree, they
will become victims of human trafficking.
Who can become a victim?
Even though anyone can be trafficked,
traffickers target vulnerable people.
Factors that cause vulnerablity include
lack of economic opportunities, poverty,
unemployment, domestic violence and
child-headed homes as a result of
parents dying from AIDS related illness.
Who are the traffickers?
Traffickers may come from the same poor
socio-economic background as their victims. They
appear to be successful business people able to offer
their victims better opportunities. Sometimes even
parents are involved in the trafficking of their children.
Traffickers try to appear trustworthy.
Why do victims of trafficking not run away?
They are controlled by their traffickers through debt
bondage, a victim is told that he or she owes the trafficker
money used for transportation, accommodation, food,...
Other forms of control include use of threats to harm the
victim's family, locking up the victims and forced drug use.
The victim is completely controlled and often too afraid to
try to escape.
Who makes the travel arrangements?
A trafficker usually makes all travel
arrangements and pays for all the costs such as
transport, visas, tickets, meals and housing. This
makes it easy for the trafficker to control victim
through debt bondage.