United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants

Trafficking in persons is the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.

Smuggling of migrants involves the procurement for financial or other material benefit of illegal entry of a person into a State of which that person is not a national or resident.

Virtually every country in the world is affected by these crimes. The challenge for all countries, rich and poor, is to target the criminals who exploit desperate people and to protect and assist victims of trafficking and smuggled migrants, many of whom endure unimaginable hardships in their bid for a better life.

As the only United Nations entity focusing on the criminal justice element of these crimes, the work that UNODC does to combat human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants is underpinned by the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.

Glo.ACT branding

The European Union (EU) and UNODC have launched the Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT). A four-year joint initiative between the EU and UNODC, GLO.ACT will be implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) through to 2019.

Visit the Global Action web page here.

The Human Trafficking Knowledge Portal is an initiative to facilitate the dissemination of information regarding the implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and specifically the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

The Human Trafficking Knowledge Portal hosts a Case Law Database on officially documented court cases concerning trafficking in persons and a Database on Legislation.

Visit the Human Trafficking Knowledge Portal here.

Watch video on the Case Law Database here.

The Smuggling of Migrants Knowledge Portal is an initiative to facilitate the dissemination of information regarding the implementation of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and specifically the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.

The Smuggling of Migrants Knowledge Portal hosts a Case Law Database on officially documented court cases concerning smuggling of migrants and a Database on Legislation.

Visit the Smuggling of Migrants Knowledge Portal here.

The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) is a policy forum mandated by the UN General Assembly to improve coordination among UN agencies and other relevant international organizations to facilitate a holistic and comprehensive approach to preventing and combating trafficking in persons, including protection and support for victims of trafficking.

Visit the ICAT website here.

The UNODC Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking provides grassroots humanitarian, legal, and financial aid to victims of trafficking through governmental, inter-governmental, and civil society organizations.

The key aim is to give people from all walks of life - including governments, the private sector, international organizations, NGOs, and individuals the opportunity to work together to provide solutions to assist victims of human trafficking.

Visit the Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking here.

Learn more

To learn more visit What is human trafficking? and What is migrant smuggling?

Download UNODC's anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling Tools and Publications.

Watch Public Service Announcements and listen to expert interviews here.

Visit the website of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants

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