Human trafficking

Why Human Trafficking Thrives

Many observers wonder why the trafficking trade continues to thrive in the face of its nearly universal condemnation. One word summarizes the answer: money. The international slave trade is believed to bring in more than US $150 billion each year. Every region has its share of the slave trade, but 56 percent of the total global number of slaves - more than 11 million people - are in the Asia-Pacific region. Half of those (56 percent) are slaves in their home country. In industry terms, slave labor accounts for US $43 billion annually in the construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and mining industries, and almost US $100 million in the sex trade industry.