The Role Of Transnational Organized Crime In Women Human Trafficking: Challenges And Solutions For Law Enforcement

Ananya Malhotra, Christ Deemed to be University, Bangalore.

1. Introduction

Human Trafficking also referred to as modern-age slavery is a pressing issue of global concern. It refers to the Illegal Trade and exploitation of human beings for forced labor, sexual slavery, forced marriages, and commercial sexual purposes. It is the third largest organized crime in the world and is escalating and mounting every day. The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or reception of persons by force, fraud, or deception to exploit them for profit.1 Women are the most vulnerable when it comes to being in danger of being trafficked and exploited. Women account for 55-60 percent of all trafficking victims detected globally. According to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the majority of victims of human trafficking are women and girls, accounting for about 71% worldwide.

According to the recent report of NRCB around 2,189 cases were registered under the Anti- Human Trafficking Units across India in 2021. India continues to be the major hub of origin, transit, or destination for the victims. Around 20 to 65 million Indians are affected by this problem globally. Poverty, corruption, gender discrimination, lack of livelihood, displacement, deception, and fraud are some of the factors that contribute to this Crime. This condensing of the world can be attributed to Globalization due to which trafficking has become a lucrative and fast-growing criminal activity. 2Globalization makes the process of communication and transportation more feasible which makes it easier for traffickers to traffic people around the world. Traffickers often resort to coercion, fraud, deception, abduction, and false job advertisements to lure the victims into this dark web of trafficking.