Human trafficking affects every country around the world, regardless of socio-economic status, history, or political structure.  Human traffickers have created an international market for the trade in human beings based on high profits and demand for commercial sex and cheap labor.  Trafficking is estimated to be $32 billion industry, affecting 161 countries worldwide.

An estimated 12.3 million men, women and children are trafficked for commercial sex or forced labor around the world today.  Victims are trafficked both within and across international borders.  Migrants as well as internally displaced persons are particularly vulnerable, as evidenced by the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.

Examples of human trafficking cases span sex trafficking in India and Latin America, the shrimp industry in Thailand, child soldiers in Burma, cotton in Uzbekistan, fishing on Lake Volta in Ghana, and forced labor in Florida’s citrus fields.   

There is a growing recognition of the links between labor trafficking, regulation of supply chains, and the power of the consumer to end widespread exploitation by choosing goods that aren’t tainted by forced or child labor.  The US Department of Labor has identified 122 goods produced with forced labor, child labor, or both, in 58 countries. 

The US Department of State publishes a report every year assessing human trafficking on a global scale.  The 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) can be found here

Click here for reports, referrals to international anti-trafficking organizations and agencies, and additional information.

To learn more about Polaris Project's international programs, click here.