Human trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation remains the primary source of profit for criminal gangs of human traffickers. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have been paying special attention for a decade to the growing link between migration and Human Trafficking and Exploitation and have discovered how criminals operate in transnational networks, taking advantage of migrants seeking better opportunities and living conditions.
Mass migration, in turn, is used by illegal criminal gangs of traffickers and smugglers of people to recruit victims. People in need migrate to unknown places and are left at the mercy of false jobs and promises of opportunities that do not exist. Rich countries are the target of migrants, and the ways to reach them are the operating routes of criminals connected between regions, using small gangs that work for more extensive, transnational ones. Governments must differentiate strategies to combat criminals from those to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees, which is an urgent need. Protecting and welcoming migrants and refugees is not a matter of charity or compassion; it is a matter of justice and a way to prevent them from becoming victims of traffickers and smugglers networks.
Thank you to The Catholic Register for paying attention to those issues and bringing to MWC the opportunity to discuss them.
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Program Manager Migration, Refuge and Human Trafficking at The Mary Ward Centre
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