Introduction and methodological note

It has been five years since the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children came into effect, and the time is ripe for an assessment of progress. In March 2007, UNODC conducted, in the framework of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), a study on the state of the world’s response to the crime of human trafficking. The research looked beyond the ratification of the Protocol to ask how many countries had formulated national legislation and created supporting institutions and how many investigations, prosecutions and convictions these efforts had produced. This report presents the information gathered by 10 UNODC researchers from 155 countries and territories from September 2007 until July 2008. The information itself pertains to the period 2003 to 2007.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Gender Equality

Reduced Inequalities

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions