Human Trafficking

The crime of human trafficking is complex and dynamic, taking place in a wide variety of contexts and it is often difficult to detect.

‘Trafficking in Persons’… mean[s] the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. (Article 3, paragraph (a)) Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons

Where We Stand

“SI recognises that trafficking in persons is a heinous violation of fundamental human rights and must be strongly combatted. The consequences of human trafficking have a spill-over effect that touches every element of a society.”

SI Position on Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking and the SI Road to Equality

Millions of women and girls every year are trafficked, and they become victims of this heinous crime due to force, fraud or coercion that is imposed on them to obtain different forms of labour, commericial sex, marriage, organs, etc. They are helplessly placed in situations of exploitation, from which it is almost impossible for them to get out or seek help. Human trafficking today has become the most common form of modern slavery. Soroptimists recognise the gravity of this crime, and call for global action to combat this abhorrent violation of human rights. Trafficking is not just the violation of bodily and sexual rights, but is an atrocity against the very existence and development of a human being.

Globally, only 0.04% of the vast majority of cases are detected and very few victims are able to access protection. These glaring statistics seem to be suggestive of the scant awareness on this problem, the existing legal and law enforcement loopholes and low rates of conviction of criminals. It is thus crucial that Soroptimists work to drastically improve the conditions of trafficked women and girls, enable them to have recourse to protection, and overall eradicate the conditions and causes which in the first place put them in the risk of being trafficked, so that women and girls are able to lead fulfilling lives devoid of discrimination.

Above: A recent SI Voices Webinar ‘Trafficking Our Girls’.

Human Trafficking