Source: Lausanne Global Analysis, January 13, 2014
Human trafficking is a global crime affecting nearly all countries in every region of the world, and the statistics are simply staggering. Between 2007 and 2010, victims of 136 different nationalities were detected in 118 countries across the world.
Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation accounts for 58% of all cases detected globally, while trafficking for forced labor accounts for 36 percent (double the 2008 percentage). Removal of organs, begging, forced marriages, illegal adoptions, participation in armed combat, and the commission of petty crimes are some of the other reasons for human trafficking.
The International Labor Organization estimates that 20.9 million people are victims of forced labor globally. Women account for about 60 percent of trafficking victims, and children 27 percent (two thirds of them girls).
» Read full story, including a call to the global church to respond.
» Related to human trafficking is the mistreatment of women. For stories to help you pray for and believe in change, see Deborah Meroff’s new blog, Women Without Borders.