Addressing Emerging Human Trafficking Trends and Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has created new risks and challenges to victims and survivors of trafficking. This report analyses the emerging COVID-19 human trafficking trends and consequences.

UN Women

Around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has created new risks and challenges to victims and survivors of trafficking. It has also worsened the vulnerabilities of at-risk groups, especially women and children, to trafficking in human beings.

This publication is aimed at providing lawmakers, civil society organizations, and the private sector with effective guidance to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings. Moreover, the report promotes a human rights–, gender-, and age-sensitive, trauma-informed, and victim-centred approach now and after the pandemic.

The report is based on data collected through a global survey of survivors of trafficking and frontline organizations from more than 100 countries, as well as in consultation with a panel of experts.

The report analyses the emerging COVID-19 human trafficking trends and consequences. At its core, the publication offers concrete policy recommendations to address these trends and impacts in the short to long term, in a manner consistent with international standards, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe commitments, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

View online/download

Bibliographic information

Subject area(s): 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; COVID-19; Ending violence against women and girls; Health; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Trafficking/sexual exploitation

Resource type: Manuals/guides

UN Women office involved in publication: UN Women Headquarters

Publication year: 2020

Number of pages: 124

Publishing entities: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)

Back to all articles

Continue Reading

COVID-19 Crisis Putting Human Trafficking Victims at Risk of Further Exploitation, Experts Warn

COVID-19 Crisis Putting Human Trafficking Victims at Risk of Further Exploitation, Experts Warn

Racial Disparities, COVID-19, and Human Trafficking

Racial Disparities, COVID-19, and Human Trafficking