* 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world; 56 percent of these victims are women and girls
* $32 billion annual trade for the traffickers
* 49,105 victims identified worldwide, a 59 percent increase over the last reporting year (2008)
* Prevalence of trafficking victims in the world: 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (in Asia and the Pacific: 3 per 1,000)
* 4,166 successful trafficking prosecutions in 2009, a 40 percent increase over 2008
* Countries that have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocol: 62
* Countries without laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims’ deportation: 104
* 23 countries received upgraded rankings in the 2010 TIP Report; 19 countries received downgraded rankings
* Two countries, the United States and Kiribati, are ranked for the first time in the 2010 TIP Report. source.

Related Reading:

Supply & Demand [HD]

The Sunken Cathedral (A human trafficking novel)Lilya, a young girl from a derelict district in Moldova, and Makena, living with her mother in an impoverished part of Nairobi, are lured into human trafficking rings, and forced into prostitution amidst the dazzle and congestion of Soho, London. Exploited, unrecognized without the official documents their minders have stolen, they endure suffering they could never have imagined; but when they meet, they form a special bond, find imaginative ways to cope, and dream of regaining their freedom.
The Sunken Cathedral explores the darker side of globalization, multiculturalism and economic migration; the perceptions of the West towards foreigners, and of foreigners towards the West. It gives expression to the horrors of sexual slavery and exploitation, and the courage of the young women who endure it, by focusing on the humanity and courage, and above all the unique inner-lives of two girls, out of the thousands embarking on journeys into hell every day.

Trafficking in Persons Report (June 2011)The U.S. State Department released the eleventh annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on June 27, 2011. Analyzing 184 governments' work in combating slavery, the Report is both the most comprehensive literature on the subject and an important strategic tool for US diplomatic efforts at increasing international efforts.

Trafficking In Persons [Explicit]

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for CongressTrafficking in persons (TIP) for the purposes of exploitation is believed to be one of the most prolific areas of international criminal activity and is of significant concern to the United States and the international community. According to Department of State estimates, roughly 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year. If trafficking within countries is included in the total world figures, official U.S. estimates indicate that some 2 to 4 million people are trafficked annually. As many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked into the United States each year and some have estimated that 100,000 U.S. citizen (USC) children are victims of trafficking within the United States.. Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386), the Administration and Congress have aimed to address TIP by authorizing new programs and reauthorizing existing ones, appropriating funds, creating new criminal laws, and conducting oversight on the effectiveness and implications of U.S. anti-TIP policy. Most recently, the TVPA was reauthorized through FY2011 in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-457). Obligations for global and domestic anti- TIP programs, not including operations and law enforcement investigations, totaled approximately $103.5 million in FY2009. Activity on combating TIP may continue into the 112th Congress, particularly related to efforts to reauthorize the TVPA. Ongoing international policy issues include how to measure the effectiveness of the U.S. and international responses to TIP, including the State Department’s annual TIP rankings and the use of unilateral sanctions; and how to prevent known sex offenders from engaging in child sex tourism. Domestic issues that may arise include whether there is equal treatment of all victims—both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, as well as victims of labor and sex trafficking; and whether current law and services are adequate to deal with the emerging issue of domestic minor sex trafficking (i.e., the prostitution of children in the United States). Other issues are whether to include all forms of prostitution (i.e., children and adults) in the definition of TIP, and whether sufficient efforts are applied to addressing all forms of TIP, including not only sexual exploitation, but also forced labor and child soldiers. On June 14, 2010, the State Department issued its 10th annual, congressionally mandated report on human trafficking. In addition to outlining major trends and ongoing challenges in combating TIP, the report provides a country-by country analysis and ranking, based on what progress foreign countries have made in their efforts to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent TIP. For the first time, the United States was included as one of the ranked countries. The report categorizes countries into four tiers according to the government’s efforts to combat trafficking. Those countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) may be subject to U.S. foreign assistance sanctions. On September 13, 2010, President Barack Obama determined that two Tier 3 countries will be sanctioned for FY2011 without exemption (Eritrea and North Korea). In addition, he determined that four Tier 3 countries will be partially sanctioned (Burma, Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe). The 2010 TIP report also included for the first time, a list of six countries that recruit, use, or harbor child soldiers. Inclusion on this list subjects these countries to possible U.S. assistance sanctions.