It is very difficult to assess the number of women who are trafficked globally or into the UK for sexual exploitation. This is a hidden criminal trade in human bodies. There are a number of projects in process to try and understand the extent of the trade. Research is an important part in preventing trafficking and find the means to help women who have been trafficked.
CHASTE has been asked to head the UKHTC research project on trafficking. The UKHTC Research Forum consists of senior accademics and those NGOs with a track record in research. Go to our Research web pages for further information
A number of international bodies are in the process of researching statistics. Below we introduce some of these projects and give the links where you can find a wealth of details about these projects and the statistics coming to light.
UNESCO Trafficking Statistics Project
As part of its mandate to strengthen research, UNESCO is conducting a literature review and meta-analysis of existing statements on trafficking. UNESCO is tracing the origin of numbers cited by various sources, attempting to ascertain the methodology by which these numbers were calculated, and evaluating their validity. The aim is to clarify the bases on which estimates of the numbers of trafficked persons are derived, and to separate trafficking myths from trafficking realities.
When it comes to statistics, trafficking of girls and women is one of several highly emotive issues which seem to overwhelm critical faculties. Numbers take on a life of their own, gaining acceptance through repetition, often with little inquiry into their derivations. Journalists, bowing to the pressures of editors, demand numbers, any number. Organizations feel compelled to supply them, lending false precisions and spurious authority to many reports.
The UNESCO TRAFFICKING STATISTICS PROJECT is a first step toward clarifying what we know, what we think we know, and what we don't know about trafficking.
As the statistics contained in its database originate from various sources, they may sometimes lack scientific accuracy or even be in contradiction with other data. Consequently, UNESCO is not responsible for the content of the information displayed in its database. However it is a good starting point for some figures and information about the pathways of trafficking:http://www.humantrafficking.org/search/index.php?action=search&s=Statistics
A Joint Project between European Women's Lobby and the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
This is a joint project between the European Women's Lobby and the Coalition against trafficking in Women (CATW) to promote preventative measures in combating trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation.
The purposes of this project are to address gaps in current anti-trafficking programs and policies that avoid focusing on gender equality, the demand, and the links between trafficking and prostitution. It will support women's NGOs working on these issues in 14 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo/Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro in actions/projects. See: http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/462
For some European figures please read The Links between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: A Briefing Handbook BY MONICA O’CONNOR AND GRAINNE HEALY 2006
The United Nations estimates that some 80% of persons trafficked are trafficked for sexual exploitation. They are mostly women and children. (UN, 2003). An estimated 120,000 women and children are trafficked into Western Europe each year. (European Commission, 2001). The US Department of State considers that globally some 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked within and across borders annually, of whom some 80% are women and girls and some 50% are minors. (US Dept of State, 2005)
Some European estimates suggest that, in 1990-1998, more than 253,000 women and girls were trafficked into the sex industry of the then 12 EU countries. The overall number of women in prostitution in these countries has grown to more than half a million. In Vienna, Austria, almost 70% of prosti tuted women come from Eastern Europe. There are about 15,000 Russian and Eastern European women in Germany’s red-light districts. Many are in brothels, sex clubs, massage parlours and saunas under the financial control of criminal groups from the Russian Federation, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia, according to a survey of the International Or ganization for Migration. (UNESCE, 2004)
In the region of South Eastern Europe, comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, 90% of foreign women in the sex business are alleged victims of trafficking, 10% to 15% of these women and girls are under the age of 18 years. The majority of victims are recruited in Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania. The women and girls are often initially trafficked on the local market. They are being moved from one place to another and after a while sold abroad. (HWWA, 2004)
CHASTE estimates that there may be approximately 4000 trafficked women in the UK. This is a figure not disputed by the authorities.
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