UN Report Linked Men to Most Human Trafficking Cases
The 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons identified that men made up 70% of those convicted of trafficking crimes.
Updated on Oct. 4, 2026 in Sex Crimes
Live Poll
Do you believe human trafficking is increasingly perpetrated by people known to the victim?
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released its 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons in December 2024. The report revealed that men account for 70% of all convicted human traffickers globally.
Why it matters
The analysis exposes the prevalence of organized criminal groups in human trafficking, which accounted for 74% of the convicted traffickers studied. These networks increasingly exploit victims for forced labor and fraudulent schemes.
A sample of 3,121 convicted traffickers from 156 countries showed 74% operated within organized crime groups. Women and girls made up 61% of all detected trafficking victims in 2022.
The players
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
This is a global organization focused on justice, crime prevention, and international cooperation against illicit drugs and trafficking.
The details
Traffickers frequently deceive victims with promises of employment before using passport confiscation, threats, and physical violence to maintain control. While 36% of victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, 42% were subjected to forced labor, including over 220,000 people coerced into online fraud schemes in Southeast Asia.
Timeline
Detected victim statistics were recorded throughout 2022.
The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons was released in December 2024.
The UNODC previously warned about trafficking into scam operations in July 2026.
Legal Context
This data follows the precedent set by the 2024 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, which standardized the tracking of criminal group involvement in modern human exploitation. It highlights how legal systems are increasingly identifying organized crime as the primary driver of global trafficking.
Public awareness of recruitment tactics like passport confiscation and false job offers can help individuals avoid falling victim to human trafficking networks. Law enforcement agencies use these findings to improve security protocols and identify vulnerabilities in sectors targeted by organized criminal groups.
The takeaway
Human trafficking remains a highly organized criminal enterprise that disproportionately targets women and girls. Understanding these recruitment patterns and the role of organized crime is essential for supporting international efforts to dismantle trafficking networks.
Further reading
For more information on investigative efforts, visit Sex Crimes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by International Business Times UK.
Live Poll
Do you believe human trafficking is increasingly perpetrated by people known to the victim?
