Celebrated humanitarians and actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher will join Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tomorrow in New York to lead the launch of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. Joining them will be the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fifth session Joseph Deiss and UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov.

The Side Event on the Arab Initiative to combat human trafficking took place during the Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime Conference (UNTOC) on 21 October 2010 in Vienna.

Due to its strategic location and comparatively weak control measures in some of the countries in the region, organized crime activities, such as human trafficking, are expanding in the region, and bringing increasing profits to international and local criminal organizations.

The Arab Initiative aims at supporting the Arab States in (i) preventing and combating human trafficking by promoting the ratification and implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, (ii) strengthening the institutional and human capacities of the criminal justice systems, (iii) improving mechanisms for the appropriate identification  referral, support, and protection of trafficked victims, and (iv) raising the awareness about the crime and its devastating consequences on individuals and societies at large.

In comparison to the highly profitable trafficking crime, which is estimated to net traffickers 32 billion USD every year ^[1], the actual receipt of financial compensation received by victims of trafficking to-date is far from adequate. Compensation and redress to justice for victims of trafficking has wider implications in the fight against trafficking in persons. On a societal and moral level, it is symbolic to acknowledge the pain and suffering of victims. On a practical level, receipt of compensation provides victims with the finances to rebuild their lives. On a retributive level, when compensation is derived from seized assets of traffickers, this mechanism should work to punish and a deter perpetrators of this heinous crime.

To develop the discussion regarding compensation for trafficked victims, a Side Event entitled Access to Justice: Ensuring Compensation for Trafficked Victims was held on 19 October 2010, in the margins of Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime Conference (UNTOC), conducted in Vienna from 18-22 October 2010.

On the 15th of October, during the Conference of the Parties, UNODC held a side event to examine and discuss the requirements for the successful delivery of technical assistance to Member States relating to the implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Supress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (the Trafficking Protocol).

Presentations were made by representatives from UNODC field offices who explored themes including issues to take into account when delivering technical assistance, the importance of delivering projects that adequately respond to identified needs in specific countries, the importance of monitoring and evaluation, and best practices in the delivery of technical assistance.

Every year, millions of tourists visit India, and the Commonwealth Games currently taking place in New Delhi have added thousands more to that number. While tourism can be a boon, a darker picture of the industry also emerges as the sexual exploitation of women and children, and trafficking in persons, increasingly come to the fore.

The Group of Friends against Human Trafficking, a coalition of 20 countries, held its first ministerial meeting in New York to step up efforts against modern-day slavery. Lending his weight to the initiative, Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, lauded "the Group's commitment to promote decisive actions at national, regional and international levels to strengthen the fight against trafficking in persons".

The United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons was adopted by the General Assembly on 30 July to urge Governments worldwide to take coordinated and consistent measures to try to defeat the scourge. The Plan calls for integrating the fight against human trafficking into the United Nations' broader programmes to boost development and strengthen security around the world.

The growing volume of trade between Cambodia and its neighbouring countries means that Cambodian border officers, often operating with poor facilities, insufficient specialized knowledge and limited budget, are requested to carry out timely and effective controls on increasing human and vehicle traffic.

On 30 July the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Global Plan of Action against Trafficking in Persons. By adopting the Plan, Governments resolve to take concrete action to prevent trafficking in persons, protect and assist victims, prosecute related crimes and strengthen partnerships among Governments, civil society organizations and the private sector, including the media.

12 to13 July 2010From 12 July to 13 July 2010, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) headquarters hosted an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) to review draft material to include into the forthcoming International Framework for Action to Implement the Migrant Smuggling Protocol. This initiative follows on from UNODC's work in 2009 to develop the International Framework for Action to Implement the Trafficking in Person Protocol, a technical assistance tool that supports United Nations Member States in the effective implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (United Nations Trafficking Protocol), supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Yury Fedotov (Russian Federation) as the new Executive Director of UNODC. He will succeed Antonio Maria Costa in that position and as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Costa for the services he has rendered to the Organization and for his commitment in leading UNODC since 2002.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted an expert group meeting (EGM) to address trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal. The key purpose of the meeting was to develop materials to assess this form of trafficking.

Spain is the first European country to join the Blue Heart Campaign, just as a new UNODC report shows that trafficking in persons is one of the most lucrative illicit businesses in Europe. According to the report, criminal groups are making around €2.5 billion per year through sexual exploitation and forced labour.

UNODC, in the framework of the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) has developed the Needs Assessment Toolkit on the Criminal Justice Response to Human Trafficking.

Migrant smuggling has been an issue of increasing concern. The negative consequences of this type of transnational crime include the erosion of state sovereignty and the loss of control over who enters and leaves the territory, the potential security implications of clandestine entries and document smuggling, the large profits that accrue to human smugglers and organized criminal groups, the increasingly brutal treatment of migrants by careless smugglers leading to a growing number of deaths by drowning, dehydration, freezing or suffocation, and the high smuggling fees that migrants have to pay for the illegal transfer to destination countries, often leading to high debts for smuggled migrants and making them vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking.

Despite the fact that migrant smuggling has attracted great media and political attention over the last two decades, there has not been any comprehensive analysis of the state of expert knowledge. Great confusion still prevails about what is migrant smuggling within the global context of irregular migration.

Six days a week, 10-year-old Anima treks the one kilometre to the only primary school in her village, in the border area of Bangladesh. She walks barefoot with a torn satchel slung over her shoulders. Her father breaks stones in a nearby quarry while her mother works in the paddies. These days, her 5-year-old sister accompanies her as well. Braving the scorching heat, stone-filled roads and dust, they reach their school.

On the 31 ^st May 2010 UNODC and the Council of the Baltic Sea States Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings (CBSS TF-THB) successfully completed the joint "Regional Project on Fostering Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) - Law Enforcement Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in, from and to the Baltic Sea Region."

Read more here.

In May 2010, senior experts met to discuss the study conducted by UNODC in partnership with the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (Ghent University), on the involvement of organized crime, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants.

UNODC organized a panel discussion in the margins of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Experts from research institutes, national authorities and UNODC linked their experience to the results of the study. They also presented their views on various avenues to pursue, to continue researching those links between organized crime, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

The discussion was led by a panel composed of...

In May 2010, senior experts met to discuss the study conducted by UNODC in partnership with the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (Ghent University), on the involvement of organized crime, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. UNODC organized a panel discussion in the margins of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Read more and view the panel discussion here.

At the age of 13, Astha* was taken to a carpet factory in Kathmandu to work. "I was not aware that I had been sold to the owner," says Astha. "They made me work hard weaving carpets, and at night the owner would call me aside and sexually abuse me. I worked there for eight years and saw girls who were forced by the owner to sell their kidneys."

Mexico has taken the lead in putting human trafficking on the global agenda by launching its own national version of the United Nations "Blue Heart" campaign against human trafficking.

President Felipe Calderón of Mexico and UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa launched the Mexico campaign in Mexico City.

Mexico takes lead in launching national campaign against human trafficking.

Mexico takes launches national campaign against human trafficking

Mexico takes lead in launching national campaign against human trafficking

Mexico takes lead in launching national campaign against human trafficking

22 to 23 March 2010

The Arab Initiative for building national capacities for combating human trafficking launched in Doha, Qatar

The Arab Initiative to combat human trafficking was launched during the Doha Foundation Forum 2010, a regional conference aimed at consulting and exchanging views from relevant stakeholders in the Middle East and North Africa region and building political consensus for future regional action against human trafficking. The Arab Initiative aims to build national capacities for the 22 Arab League States to effectively prevent and combat human trafficking. The main partners of the project are the Qatar Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking (QFCHT), the League of Arab States and UNODC.

Read more here.

4 February 2010 - The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) has issued new stamps based on the human trafficking theme. The stamps are on sale from 5 February, and are available online, as well as at the UNPA offices in Geneva, New York and Vienna.

On the 27 ^th to the 29 ^th of January 2010, the Second Meeting of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons was held in Vienna, Austria. The meeting was attended by some 200 country delegations, who came together to discuss the following issues:

• Analysis of key concepts for the Trafficking in Persons Protocol;
• Good practices and tools in discouraging the demand for exploitative services;
• Non-punishment and non-prosecution of victims of trafficking; and
• Good practices and tools for case management in responding to trafficking in persons.

Each of the sessions was supported by an expert panel comprised of participants who shared their experiences of fighting trafficking in persons in their own country contexts.

29 December 2009 - As 2009 draws to a close, UNODC revisits its work to promote global justice, integrity, health and security. Here are 10 ways that UNODC makes a difference.

In the margins of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons, UNODC hosted a side event to brief delegates on the technical assistance UNODC offers to States parties in combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Read more here.

In the margins of the Working Group on Trafficking in Persons the International Framework for Action to Implement the Trafficking in Persons Protocol was launched in Vienna.

Read more here.

25 January 2010 - The Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking reached a significant milestone during the first week of the new year: 10,000 members on its Facebook group. The Blue Heart Campaign is one of the larger anti-human trafficking groups on Facebook and one of the larger social cause groups on this issue.

29 December 2009 - As 2009 draws to a close, UNODC revisits its work to promote global justice, integrity, health and security. Here are 10 ways that UNODC makes a difference.

4 December 2009 - At a round table held in Vienna on 3 December, donors raised more than 15 million euro to help the Economic Community of West African States reduce the region's vulnerability to drugs and crime. The meeting, hosted by Austria and UNODC, is part of the Praia Process launched at a ministerial meeting in Cape Verde one year ago in response to a dangerous increase in cocaine trafficking through West Africa.

2 December 2009 - Aina's boss gave her a list of words: yes, thank you, hello, goodbye. These were the only words that Aina, then aged 18, had the right to say. Her day began at 6 a.m.: she prepared breakfast for the family's two children, then did the ironing, vacuuming, laundry, washing up, gardening and cooking. Her day ended at midnight. Aina ate the family's leftover food; she slept on the tiles in the bathroom floor.

25 November 2009 - As the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UNODC is drawing attention to how human trafficking fuels violence against women.

In its Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, UNODC revealed that two thirds of the total number of identified victims of trafficking were women.

23 November 2009 - UNODC Eastern Africa has organized a regional ministerial meeting on 23-24 November with experts and ministers from all 13 countries in the region to discuss and endorse a new programme for the period 2009-2012.

12 November 2009 -Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has drawn attention to the disturbing realities of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as the treacherous conditions in which many migrants move and live.

UNODC film premieres in Europe

2 November 2009 - A new anti-human trafficking film by UNODC was recently featured at a European Union ministerial conference in Brussels, at Scotland Yard and at the Danish parliament.

Affected for Life promotes awareness of human trafficking.

The film is targeted at prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers and other specialized audiences, and illustrates the elements and different forms of human trafficking.

The film is available in both full-length and abbreviated versions in English, with other official UN languages versions to follow.