World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2022: Theme, history & all you need to know

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed annually on July 30. It is a day to raise awareness about the glaring issue of human trafficking and the ordeal for the victims, which has increased manifold in recent times. The day has become all the more important as tens and millions have been left isolated and vulnerable amid mass displacement owing to global conflicts, climate change, inequality, and poverty.

United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, and harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception. Such victims are usually exploited for profit. While most women and children are victims of this crime, recently the UN said that with growing vulnerabilities in the world men and thousands of others from all castes, creed, and community are falling prey to the traffickers. "The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick or coerce their victims," the UN stated.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2022 History

The day has been marked since 2003 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The organisation has been incumbent in collecting data and information on human trafficking and ways to prevent the crime while protecting the rights of victims. Although, officially World Day Against Trafficking in Persons was observed for the first time in 2013 after the movement gained momentum with changing times and an increase in crime.

Noting the trafficking-related crimes, in 2010 the UN General Assembly launched the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Person. Through this, it brought together global governments to undertake stringent actions and introduce stricter laws to stop human trafficking.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2022 Theme 

With the global expansion of the use of technology, the UN this year has stipulated 'USE AND ABUSE OR TECHNOLOGY' as the theme for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. "This year’s theme focuses on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking," the UN said. It is significant due as humans today have unhindered access to technology that has tripled amidst the lockdowns during the COVID pandemic. "The theme reminds us, while technology can enable human trafficking, it can also be a critical tool in fighting it," said UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres.

Technology has provided quicker access to tools to frauds that they use to recruit, and exploit victims. The theme is expected to bring to notice the adverse effects of the internet where traffickers often reach out to potential victims and can facilitate necessary modes to carry out the heinous crime. "Traffickers use social media to identify, groom and recruit victims, including children; e-mails and messaging services are used for the moral coercion of the victims; and online platforms allow traffickers to widely advertise services provided by victims, including child photographic material," the UN explains.  Further, technology also helps perpetrators communicate among themselves and go off the wire to evade punishments.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2022 Message

To mark the day, the UN on Saturday released a statement on behalf of Secretary-general Guterres, stating that "human trafficking is a horrific crime and an all-out assault on people’s rights, safety, and dignity."

"Tragically, it is also a problem that is growing worse — especially for women and girls, who represent the majority of detected trafficked persons globally," the top UN official said. He called on the world to give this issue the attention and action it deserves and work to end the scourge of human trafficking once and for all.

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