THE IMPACT OF TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
Human trafficking today is a global phenomenon, affecting men, women and children in over 130 countries of the world. Trafficking is a crime against individuals. As such, the consequences are most directly felt by trafficked persons. As well documented, trafficking activities contravene fundamental human rights, denying people basic and broadly accepted individual freedoms. Trafficking also has broad economic, social and cultural consequences.
As a criminal act, trafficking violates the rule of law, threatening national jurisdictions and international law. Further, trafficking in persons redirects the benefits of migration from migrants, their families, community and government or other potential legitimate employers to the traffickers and their associates. Difficult as it is to measure accurately the scope of human trafficking, it is equally difficult to measure its impact. The dynamics of the trade are constantly evolving and a range of national perspectives exist.
Available statistics are dependent upon a variety of sources, methodologies and definitions. Because trafficking is an underground activity, its consequences are also hidden and adequate indicators have yet to be
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Those trafficked at younger ages and having spent a longer time in brothels was slightly more likely to become infected with the HIV virus. These findings demonstrate the need for increased attention to HIV among young victims of sex trafficking in research and practice. It is difficult to determine the absolute rates of HIV infection among trafficked persons and little research has been done to determine whether these rates are higher than those of non-trafficked prostituted women or than those in the general