Increasing human trafficking: children and women in great danger!

Increasing human trafficking: children and women in great danger!

The alarming numbers for human trafficking cannot be ignored: In the newly published UN report on human trafficking, a dramatic increase in children's smuggling and forced labor is documented. According to the UNODC, there were 75,000 registered cases worldwide in 2022 alone, of which over 25,000 children are affected. A worrying trend that can be observed not only in crisis regions, but also in wealthy countries such as western and southern Europe and North America. "The smuggling of girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation is an alarming increase in many regions worldwide," reports the UN and delivers terrifying numbers with almost 440 documented routes for transnational human trafficking. Girls and young women in particular are at risk, while boys are often targeted as migrants traveling alone, according to the current knowledge of the UNODC.

The legacy of the genocide of the Yazidis

In the context of violence and persecution, the crimes of the “Islamic State” (IS) are reminiscent of the brutal methods that led to the genocide of the Yazidis. With thousands of dead and more than 7,000 kidnapped women and children, IS left a traumatized community that still fights with the consequences. Reports from the United Nations recognize these crimes as a genocide, while the legal claims to refurbishment through veto policy are difficult in the UN Security Council. Various groups fight for dominance in the region, which severely hinder the reconstruction of the areas in the hands of IS.

still numerous Yazid women who have fled to Germany after the genocide, in uncertain about their asylum status. In 2023, almost half of the asylum applications were rejected, while a temporary deportation stop for women and girls only exists in Rhineland-Palatinate. This close connection between the current atrocities of human trafficking and the horrors that the Yazidis experienced emphasizes the need for a global perspective on flight and human rights. The complexity of these topics shows the urgency to take preventive measures and to offer refugees who flee a safe port for reasons of survival. As the United Nations stated, there is a risk of a further increase in human trafficking if the political and social conditions in the countries of origin are not improved, which makes the Situation very humiliating.